Farmscape for January 8, 2018

The Chair of Sask Pork says challenges for 2018 will be adjusting to Canada's new Pig Code of Practice, maintaining biosecurity to keep out disease and stimulating increased hog production.
The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board's Board of Directors elected a new chair last week.
Casey Smit says an improved economic outlook is generating optimism but the pork sector will face challenges in 2018.

Clip-Casey Smit-Saskatchewan Pork Development Board:
I think the thing that's on producers' minds is the national pig code and the implications of a deadline of 2024 to convert the sow facilities over from gestation crates over to loose sow housing and I think there's a lot of unknowns as to what needs to happen.
We're in 2018, that's only six years away so there needs to be a lot of work done on farms and I think producers are still somewhat hesitant as to what they are going to do which is a concern because, as there's really no expansion happening, those farms are getting older as time goes by and it'll be interesting to see what needs to happen to keep them in business.
At more the provincial level, certainly from Saskatchewan's perspective. we're very pleased with Saskatchewan's ability to keep PED out of the province and Alberta for that matter.
Unfortunately what has happened in Manitoba, having said that I think Manitoba has done an excellent job on maintaining the PED outbreak to a very concentrated area and working with industry and transporters on just protecting the rest of the industry.
We're very thankful for that.
Having said that we do think though that it isn't by luck that we keep it out.
We have a very robust biosecurity system here in western Canada and I think it's shown that.
I think the third thing that needs to be addressed is the expansion of the industry.
We've really seen little construction if any over the last number of years.
We need to create an environment to allow that to happen.

Smit says the pork sector is a significant driver of Saskatchewan's economy and it needs a regulatory environment that will attract new production to stay healthy long term.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork