Almost a quarter of Quebec pig farmers plan to reduce their capacity to deal with the crisis that is rocking the industry. This unprecedented upheaval will cost taxpayers more than $50 million.
As many as 310 Quebec pork companies, or 22% of all pork companies, recently announced their intention to participate in a program established earlier this year. This provides for the payment of 80 million US dollars in compensation to the producers, with one-third being paid by the breeders and two-thirds by the government.
“The difficult thing is that we have never experienced this before. We have always experienced an increase or stability. We have a reduction there – there has never been anything like it. We are closing stores to achieve a balance between production and processing,” says Louis-Philippe Roy, President of the Éleveurs de porcs du Québec.
Louis-Philippe Roy, President of Quebec Pork Breeders. Quebec pig farmer
“It’s the first time it’s being done in Quebec, all the productions together,” said Benoit Désilets, the union’s director of economic affairs.
The goal is to reduce production in Quebec by about 9%, or about 640,000 pigs per year. The closure of Olymel’s Vallée-Jonction plant in Beauce in December is also part of this comprehensive plan, which aims to eliminate the overproduction that has plagued the industry for several years.
His son will not follow in his footsteps
In Charlevoix, the Ferme Lucien Audet et Fils does not yet know whether their request for compensation will be granted. But no matter, the decision has already been made: The company will stop pork production within a few months.
La Ferme Lucien Audet et Fils, in Les Éboulements, in Charlevoix. Photo courtesy of Ferme Lucien Audet et Fils
Faced with the crisis, 22-year-old Émile Audet decided not to take over the family business. “If I had been in his situation, I would have made the same decision as he did,” says his father Jean-Yves, who has just turned 65.
In Montérégie, another producer decided to cut its pork capacity in half just months after building a new pigsty.
“It’s all about reducing the bleeding,” said the farmer, who asked to remain anonymous.
When it comes to pork, “the world is sick of being told what to do and having money taken out of our hands,” says the 30-year-old. Fortunately, the production of crops (cereals, soybeans, forage crops) is going well.
lack of pigs?
The situation was so difficult for some growers that they stopped production a few months ago before even submitting a claim for compensation.
Result: After several years with surplus animals, the industry could run out of pigs this fall! The decision to stop buying piglets in Ontario earlier this year has further complicated matters.
“Since June we have seen that we are in danger of running out of pigs. We underestimated this trend this winter because the exact quantities were not yet available to us [de bêtes] that the producers had in their buildings,” explains Mr. Roy.
As a result, Olymel may have to resume pork sourcing in Ontario for a few months.
However, Jean-Philippe Roy assures that consumers will not pay the price for this potential shortage as the breeders and Olymel recently agreed on long-term prices for pork.
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