WINNIPEG -- The federal government announced on Thursday it is supporting a risk management tool for pork producers that would help them recover from devastation caused by outbreaks of diseases, such as porcine epidemic diarrhea.
Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the Manitoba Pork Council will be getting an investment of just over $482,000 to put towards a two-year project.
"Producers need to know that they have the tools and supports available to them if the worst happens," said Bibeau in a news release.
"Our Government is working closely with the sector on many measures that deal with disease outbreaks before, during and after they occur."
The project "aims to create an effective, affordable, and self-sustainable risk management program that responds to periods of financial instability in the Manitoba hog industry" a news release said.
It's still in the early stages, but according to the federal government, if it is successful, this could expand to other provinces. If the pool of participants is big enough it would be more affordable for individual producers.
"Manitoba Pork thanks the federal government for their support of this project, so that we can develop some private sector solutions to mitigate the economic impact of diseases and market fluctuations," said George Matheson, the chair of the Manitoba Pork Council in a news release.
"We will ensure that the project results will have application to all pork producers in Canada. The poultry sector has led the way in developing risk management tools for specific diseases that affect their sector. We hope to build upon those initiatives to create insurance products for the pork sector."
The government said it stands "shoulder-to-shoulder" with its pork farmers and it is committed to maintaining stability for those farmers.
