The Chair of Manitoba Pork says the repeal of U.S. Country of Origin Labelling will have a negligible impact on hog markets in the United States.
A delegation representing Manitoba Pork met with U.S. political leaders, leaders of U.S. farm organizations and fellow farmers to discuss wide ranging issues of mutual concern Wednesday and Thursday in Des Moines as part of Iowa Pork Congress 2016.
Manitoba Pork Chair George Matheson says a key issue was the repeal of COOL and what impact it might have on Manitoba weanling exports south.
Number one, we thanked them for supporting us in getting the matter resolved in regards to Country of Origin Labelling. We also did advise them that there would be no expectations of a sudden increase in exports from Manitoba just because Country of Origin Labelling has been repealed. We will probably stay at roughly 3,000,000.
We had dropped from, prior to COOL, probably just over 4,000,000 weanlings exported and they realize that COOL or no COOL that that number of approximately 3,000,000 is not going to change so it’s not going to be a flood of pigs that would depress their market. I took part in a seminar by a pork economist who felt that possibly in Ontario where they’re lacking slaughter space, they may start moving more hogs south, being a little easier to do so with the repeal of COOL. He said that would increase U.S. slaughter by no more than one percent so he didn’t think it would pressure prices too much and in fact that flow of hogs may not happen. Perhaps Ontario, as they’ve done in the past, will find space in Quebec.
Matheson says no one on either side of the border wanted to see the retaliatory tariffs that would have resulted had provisions of COOL for pork and beef not been repealed.
