Canada-Pig farmers are optomistic for 2009.

CANADA.

THE CANADIAN PORK INDUSTRY OPTOMISTIC ABOUT 2009.

The Canadian pork industry has just come out of the worse year in the history of the trade for pig farmers and processors alike.

Just as the trade began to settle and feed prices along with food prices, came down to an acceptable level, the United States introduced the country of origin labeling (COOL), wich has meant the US processors have lost interest in live pigs from Canada, which in good times is many as 120,000 pigs per week crossing the border.

The Canadian meat industry, kills between 400,000 and 450,000 pigs every week along- side the live export trade.

The government of Canada introduced a sow culling scheme in May of 2008, paying compensation to farmers who let breeding stock go for manufacturing meat. This was preferable to many farmers to producing pigs that were losing CA$30 per pig when finished.

There has been a significant decline in the number of sows on a global basis. Martin Rice from the Canadian Pork Council, said "The economic meltdown did in fact spell some relief for our pig farmers, with the price of lower grain prices and the lowering of the Canadian dollar to below 80 cents US at the close of the year".

Regarding the new labeling laws in the USA, according to Rice there are about 4 million Canadian born pigs in the United States at various stages of fattening and in the breeding sector.

Canada have complained to the World Trade Organization, about the COOL system, however there in no chance of the bill being lifted, in light of the fact that consumers number one concern today is traceability of meat.