Canada-The pork trade.

CANADA-THE PIG TRADE.

If I mention the word Porky to you, do you think of the character on the Little Rascals or the cartoon pig or an old friend from college? This week, let’s take a closer look at pigs.

Pigs are not native to North America . They were one of the many types of livestock brought by European settlers in the 17th century.

What is the difference between a pig, a hog and swine? To the producer, pigs are light animals weighing less than 54 kilograms. Hogs are 54 to 100 kilogram market weight. Swine is a general scientific term that covers all.

A mother pig is called a sow, a father pig is called a boar and a baby pig is called a piglet. A group of pigs is called a herd. A sow can give birth to eight to 12 piglets in one litter, and can have two litters in one year.

Almost every part of the pig is used in processing. Bones and skin are used for glue, pigskin garments, gloves, shoes and footballs. Hair is used for artist’s brushes, insulation, and upholstery. Dried bones are used for buttons and bone china. Fatty acids and glycerin are used for insecticides, floor waxes, weed killers, waterproofing agents, cement, rubber, crayons, cosmetics, chalk, antifreeze, plastics, putty and cellophane. Pigs are a source of nearly 40 drugs and pharmaceuticals such as insulin. The pig heart valves are surgically implanted in humans to replace diseased valves.

Yearly pork consumption is around 19 kg (42 lbs) per Canadian, which is down from long-term average 21 kg (46 lbs) per person.

Saskatchewan is one of the lowest swine cost production areas in North America . Close proximity to an abundance of high quality feed grains, and a large amount of affordable land has resulted in an expanding swine industry. Currently, grain production in Saskatchewan has the potential to feed over 10 million pigs. There are actually more pigs in Saskatchewan than there are people!

Most pigs live in barns and not outside in the mud. Barns are designed to provide pigs with the proper environment, protected from extreme weather and temperature.

Federal and provincial governments do exercise some control over the swine industry. Under the authority of the Agriculture Operations Act, regulations have been implemented to ensure animals wastes are properly stored and used without the risk of environmental contamination. Local governments are also responsible for zoning, and can regulate the expansion or establishment of swine operations.

As in other sectors of the agricultural industry there is a tendency to larger and fewer more efficient production units. The pork industry has the ability to generate many jobs. Skilled labour is in high demand in the fields of nutrition, genetics and breeding, engineering and management. Although pork operations are profitable if managed carefully, they also require a large capital investment. As a result, pork production is less likely to exist as a family farm and large company production units will be favored.

So why not go enjoy a nice pork dinner tonight. But don’t pig out.

Think about this -- The Easter weekend started with the death of Jesus, but ended with him rising from death triumphantly.

Just some food for thought.