By Zhiqi Zhou

Editor’s note: Zhiqi Zhou is a communications and journalism intern with the Canadian Pork Council (CPC). For more information, contact Chloe Belchamber, Manager, Operations and PPRA, CPC at ‘belchamber@cpc-ccp.com.’

The Canadian pork industry is a vital part of the national economy and a global leader in producing safe, high-quality and sustainable food. At the heart of many of the sector’s advancements is the Pork Promotion and Research Agency (PPRA): a federally legislated body that plays a behind-the-scenes yet crucial role in supporting the industry’s growth.

Chloe Belchamber, Manager of Operations and PPRA, Canadian Pork Council (CPC) spoke about the agency’s work, highlighting how it fuels innovation, supports marketing efforts, collaborates across sectors and faces evolving challenges with a forward-looking approach.

“Rather than focusing on branded campaigns, the agency supports generic pork research and promotional efforts that benefit the entire sector,” said Belchamber. “The PPRA is intended to fuel innovation, support marketing efforts, and lead to collaboration across sectors while facing evolving challenges with a forward-looking approach.”

The PPRA was established under the Farm Products Agencies Act, with a mandate to promote the production and marketing of hogs and pork products across interprovincial, export and import trade. The PPRA’s activities are funded through an import levy system. This levy – equal to the domestic check-off amount – is applied to all imported hogs, pork and pork products. The information used to calculate the levy comes from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and invoicing is handled on the PPRA’s behalf by the Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency, which brings more than 15 years of experience in levy collection. Levy funds are re-invested into strategic initiatives aimed at making the Canadian pork industry more competitive and sustainable.

“By complying with World Trade Organization regulations and principles of national treatment, the agency’s model ensures fairness between imported and domestic products,” said Belchamber. “A unique aspect of the PPRA’s work is that its promotional and research materials are made available to all industry players – producers, importers and processors alike.”

This inclusive approach encourages everyone to contribute to strengthening pork’s position in the marketplace and ensures Canadian pork continues to be trusted, innovative and efficient on both the domestic and global stages.

Marketing and research benefit

A major pillar of the PPRA’s mission is supporting research that drives improvements in production practices, environmental sustainability and animal welfare. Research activities are carried out through a service provider agreement with Swine Innovation Porc (SIP).

SIP’s investments in science are already producing tangible results. For instance, current projects include strategies to optimize phosphorus and nitrogen utilization and studies on replacing antimicrobials in weaned piglets. SIP also supports research into animal welfare, including transitional funding for a dedicated Animal Welfare Chair. All these projects fall under a newly launched framework that facilitates knowledge transfer and ensures that research findings are shared directly with producers.

The PPRA, meanwhile, plays an active role in consumer education and marketing. Through its partnership with Canada Pork, the agency runs broad-reaching marketing campaigns to promote pork’s value without highlighting any specific brand. One such campaign, ‘Pork, Eh!’ uses multiple social media platforms to showcase pork’s nutritional benefits, versatility and cooking ideas for consumers.

In a sector as interconnected as agriculture, collaboration is essential, and the PPRA is no exception. The agency works directly with producers and processors to disseminate research findings and marketing tools that can be adapted to suit individual needs. It also partners with key government agencies, including AAFC and CBSA, to facilitate levy collection and ensure regulatory compliance. Oversight is provided by the Farm Products Council of Canada.

“Close relationships with organizations such as Canada Pork and SIP ensure that marketing and research programs remain aligned with industry needs and priorities,” said Belchamber. “These partnerships allow the PPRA to deliver meaningful results while avoiding duplicating efforts.”

Challenges remain despite advantages

Despite its many successes, the PPRA and the Canadian pork industry face significant challenges. Chief among them is maintaining competitiveness in both domestic and international markets. This requires constant innovation, high production standards and the ability to respond to changing consumer demands. Increasingly, Canadian consumers are prioritizing health, sustainability and ethical practices, which are driving their choices. This shift places pressure on the Canadian pork industry to remain transparent at all stages of the value chain, while continuing to deliver high-quality products.

At the same time, regulatory changes – whether they involve trade agreements, environmental policies or animal health standards – can significantly impact the industry. Adapting to these changes requires agility, cooperation and often new investments in compliance and innovation.

Potential foreign animal disease outbreaks are another challenge that should not be underestimated. If African Swine Fever (ASF) or Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) were to be discovered in Canada, it could devastate pork production and processing by shutting down access to export markets, triggering major backlogs of domestic pigs and pork that would ultimately need to be absorbed by the Canadian consumer market. For the PPRA, this would mean a dramatic loss of revenue, since the agency relies on imports to generate funding. Without those imports, its ability to support vital research and promotional work could be severely limited. Still, Belchamber remains optimistic.

“Through careful planning, strong partnerships and a focus on shared benefits, the PPRA continues to provide crucial support to one of Canada’s most important agricultural sectors,” said Belchamber. “By investing in generic, science-based promotion and research, the agency is helping producers not just adapt to change, but lead the way in shaping a resilient, innovative future for Canadian pork.”

By Andrew Heck

Editor’s note: Andrew Heck is past Editor, Canadian Hog Journal. He can be contacted at ‘andrewtheck@gmail.com.’

The 11th annual Porc Show took place at the Quebec City Convention Centre on Dec. 10 & 11, inviting hundreds of Canadian and international guests to hear keynote speeches looking at the geopolitical situation and upcoming innovations in the sector, along with workshop presentations in the areas of animal health, farm management and consumer marketing.

Adopting artificial intelligence has been a slow march

Jacquelin Labrecque, CEO, Ro-Main explored progress being made with artificial intelligence (AI) in hog production. AI in precision hog production has been slow to materialize, despite being full of promises.

“I think most will agree with me when I say that artificial intelligence seems to be a bit delayed,” said Labrecque.

To better understand the phenomenon, Labrecque used the ‘Gartner Hype Cycle’ model to evaluate AI’s trajectory in hog production. This model, created by U.S.-based technology research firm, Gartner, describes five phases of technological adoption: technology trigger, peak of inflated expectations, trough of disillusionment, slope of enlightenment and plateau of productivity. While the ‘trough of disillusionment’ occurred during the timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic, Labrecque believes the industry is now accelerating up the ‘slope of enlightenment,’ and the ‘plateau of productivity’ is quickly approaching on the horizon.

Labrecque described some of the promises of AI that the industry had come to expect, which, so far, remain theoretical more than practical.

“Among the applications, we talked about behavior monitoring for early disease detection, animal welfare, weighing using imaging technology, animal facial recognition. We’ve been talking about that for 20 years,” said Labrecque. “There is another element of artificial intelligence that is the management of massive data. We have electronic systems that generate a lot of data every day, so how can we give value to this data in the future?”

Considering what has held back the industry from realizing the goal of AI, Labrecque provides a blunt assessment of bottom-line factors.

“So many interesting ideas, but we realize we have to abandon most of these ideas for technological and cost reasons,” said Labrecque. “Nobody’s going to introduce technology on the farm that does not produce any return on investment. Many businesses did a lot of marketing around AI because it was fashionable.”

Looking at the nuances of AI application, Labrecque highlights some specific complications.

“We work with living beings. It’s very complex,” said Labrecque. “We have a lot of cases of AI’s potential uses that are still not well defined and not demonstrated by research. Regarding animal science, technology still awaits new knowledge in order to go forward.”

While applied AI is making gains in other industries, led by world-renowned businesses like Google, this same movement hasn’t been seen in animal agriculture.

“When you want to automate something with AI on your farm and you need instant results to make your decisions, you cannot depend on an Internet connection,” said Labrecque. “Yet, most AI systems today are still developed in order to work with the cloud.”

The problems with AI’s barriers to adoption on-farm are relatively easy to understand, but potential solutions are lacking. Labrecque proposes that, for AI to work in hog production, it needs to be able to operate free of the online digital environment, but still with the ability to apply updates as the technology evolves and as producers tailor technologies to their own systems.

Where AI has succeeded in the pork sector includes genetic selection tools and carcass imaging, though these have less of a direct impact on producers’ day-to-day operations.

“The most advanced developments that have the biggest impact on you are things you might not even be aware of,” said Labrecque.

What does the future hold for AI in hog production? Labrecque remains optimistic and excited. He provided a wish list of target areas where development should be focussed, automating process that are currently being done in barns in a more time-consuming, tedious and potentially less-accurate manner than they could be with the help of technology.

“There are a lot of things we do with our eyes that could be automated,” said Labrecque. “And they can be done in a more objective way.”

Balancing barn-washing effectiveness with efficiency

Yves Garceau, Senior Agronomy Advisor, Éleveurs de porcs du Québec spoke about accelerating and improving barn washing while reducing water consumption. He suggested that effective soap-and-water washing protocols can best prepare a barn prior to applying disinfectants.

“Why do we wash? First of all, to eliminate pathogens in the barn and make the premises more hygienic,” said Garceau. “But once we’ve removed the dirt, there’s a biofilm. We try to eliminate that because it serves as a shelter for pathogens. And the disinfectants that we have are effective, but they become ineffective shortly thereafter.”

That unseen coating on the surfaces should not be under-estimated in terms of what sticks to it.

“It’s a melting pot of micro-organisms, bacteria, yeast, extracellular polysaccharides. This is excreted by bacteria and sub-products,” said Garceau. “These could be proteins and nucleic acid. So spit and feed and minerals and organic matter. Everything we can find on a farm, it stays there and grows.”

Garceau’s presentation referenced a study by four researchers from the Quebec Agri-Environment Research and Development Institute (IRDA) and one from the Centre de développement du porc du Québec (CDPQ), which tested variables associated with barn-washing, including water temperature, pressure and distance from surface, along with types of nozzles and surfaces, all of which impact washing efficiency and effectiveness.

In general, what helps save water is using hotter water with greater pressure and quicker passes over surfaces; however, there is a sweet spot when it comes to the amount of force used. Too little, and it takes longer and uses more water. Too much, and surfaces are covered less evenly.

“When we look at this economically speaking, is it worth it to use hot water? I would say yes,” said Garceau. “We know that the labour costs of washing are of great importance.”

When it comes to the type of surfaces, ease of washing varies greatly, with cast iron being very difficult, followed distantly by concrete. Stainless steel, by comparison, is much easier. The age of surfaces can also affect how porous they are, increasing washing difficulty.

Garceau reinforced the significance of choosing a pressure washer. While some are more expensive than others, the old adage holds true: you get what you pay for.

“Consider hot water. It’s worth it, really,” said Garceau. “You can lower the pressure and increase the flow. It’s going to be easier on your equipment, and it’ll do the job.”

Based on the study, Garceau recommends different parameters for a flat jet and rotary jet. For a flat jet, use water at a minimum of 40 degrees-Celsius at one kilometre per hour and 0.6 Megapascals. For a rotary jet, aim for water at a minimum of 35 degrees-Celsius at two kilometres per hour and 20 Megapascals.

Realizing pork’s potential at retail

Stéphane Bergeron, Meat Group Supply Manager, Sobeys (Quebec), provided an overview of opportunities for pork at retail. When it comes to understanding the value chain, Bergeron insists that every part of the value chain has different needs that require attention for collective success.

“It’s important to understand the reality of each piece of the chain, from producers to processors and retailers,” said Bergeron. “The reality is different for each entity, and we have the opportunity to understand everyone’s reality.”

While strengthening the value proposition of Canadian pork in grocery stores remains a challenge across the country, in Quebec, companies including Sobeys have committed to sourcing all their fresh pork locally.

“At Sobeys, we did a study with consumers and asked what they consider to be ‘local,’” said Bergeron. “When we looked at processed products, the importance was lesser. If we look at fruit and vegetables, when we have an apple, for the consumer, it’s important to have an apple from Quebec. But when they drink apple juice, it’s less important for them.”

The desire for fresh pork from Quebec, among Quebec consumers, differed when compared to beef, which consumers were more inclined to apply a broader definition of ‘local’: ‘Canadian’ versus ‘Quebec.’ Despite this, and despite Sobeys commitment to selling only local pork, the latest sales data, by dollar value, suggests three-quarters of meat spending in Quebec Sobeys is related to beef and chicken, with pork and other proteins making up the remaining quarter.

Even though pork is by-and-far the most affordable option in the meat cooler, when it comes to why consumers are more prone to picking other meats, there’s more to the story.

“Consumers’ habits are different with pork than other proteins,” said Bergeron. “According to another study, only 77 per cent of Quebec consumers eat pork at least once a week. That means pork is less consumed than other proteins.”

Pork is often on sale more than other meats, which may have an interesting effect on consumers’ perceptions of the product: it’s cheaper, and not in a good way. Dietary preferences also punish pork when it comes to large-scale events where many people are eating the same food options, with organizers opting for beef and chicken over pork.

When beef price inflation began to climb rapidly several years ago, this spelled a missed opportunity for pork marketing. Despite efforts, consumers are still willing to purchase beef over pork, which reflects not only what they like to eat but their purchasing decisions. A familiar though expensive beef steak is often a more appealing choice than an unfamiliar but innovative pork offering.

“We need to be able to promote pork as a protein that’s not only affordable but also something that can be distinguished – something that people will really desire,” said Bergeron.

Bergeron goes on to demonstrate the difference between a premium cut and premium product. While Canadian grocery stores showcase a wide range of beef cuts – from the most economical to the highest-end – this is less common with pork, where premium cuts are often exported. That means, for pork to succeed domestically, creativity is needed to turn ordinary cuts into better products.

“There’s a trend that’s very present now. There are many, many ramen products in the grocery stores – Asian products. So the consumer is open to discovery,” said Bergeron. “And, these days, it’s more difficult in certain cases when cuts are more conventional.”

Bergeron ultimately recognizes that pork’s popularity – or lack thereof – can be paradoxical. On one hand, showcasing novel offerings for consumers may spark interest, but on the other hand, if the offering doesn’t sell, it creates waste and lost revenue for the retailer, which makes retailers wary of such experimentation.

Quebec’s charm continues to attract interest

The Porc Show’s tried-and-true format also included a panel discussion on the first day of the event, which, this year, covered ‘Pork in a Changing World.’ The second day of the event featured a plated lunch – the outcome of a culinary student contest that comes with a cash prize for those involved, along with the prestige of having their dish showcased for guests. The second day wraps up with a cocktail celebration featuring products from Quebec-based food and beverage businesses, with a focus on pork. 

The Porc Show’s attractive mix of timely and important subject matter, networking opportunities and hospitality continues to draw guests from far and wide every year. The show’s organizers, sponsors and presenters routinely churn out a high-calibre event, and Quebec City’s French-Canadian history and charm remains an enjoyable bonus for visitors.

By Geoff Geddes

In the Canadian pork sector, there is always a new challenge to address, and the latest one involves wild boar. Considered an invasive species, they are like a cancer infesting the industry.

“These animals cause ecological harm, wildlife habitat destruction and crop damage, and they serve as a reservoir for diseases that can affect wild and domestic pigs,” said Colleen McElwain, Executive Director, Animal Health Canada.

While the problem is nationwide, it hits particularly close to home for western Canadian hog producers.

“Wild boar at-large are one of the most destructive invasive species on the planet,” said Megan Evans, Executive Director, Alberta Invasive Species Council (AISC). “I think all Albertans should be concerned about them – farmers in particular. There’s a lot at risk when it comes to these populations.”

Apart from the damage done to wildlife, crops and the environment, wild boar pose a risk of potentially spreading diseases like African Swine Fever (ASF).

ASF could leave us SOL

“For the ag industry, the spread of a reportable disease in a barn or processing plant is a scary prospect,” said Evans. “It would be devastating, however, to see such an outbreak in a wild boar population that we can’t easily control.”

In a worst-case scenario, the presence of ASF on a hog farm would have massive implications for the trade of Canadian pork. In response, Animal Health Canada has developed a surveillance tool called CanSpotASF, a national surveillance program for the early detection of ASF in Canada.

“The goal of this tool is to detect ASF early on and help in proving to our trade partners – through testing – that Canadian pork is free of the disease,” said McElwain.

While it’s common to think that wild boar invaded Alberta and other provinces from the south, the truth is much closer to home.

“This problem began in the 1980s when governments encouraged farmers to diversify their livestock,” said Hannah McKenzie, Wild Boar Specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. “We soon realized that these animals are hard to contain and, contrary to the prevailing wisdom, can survive our harsh winters.”

To combat the problem, the Government of Alberta launched a bounty program in 2003 that was delivered by municipalities throughout the province to incentivize the killing of wild boar.

“We learned the hard way that wild boar are a challenging species to address,” said McKenzie. “They reproduce quickly, are highly intelligent and adapt rapidly to any kind of pressure.”

Hunting for answers

With hunting, for example, they are able to recognize the danger and change their behavior to become more wary of external threats.

“I must stress that recreational hunting is not an effective control measure for wild boar eradication,” said Charlotte Shipp, Industry Programs Manager, Alberta Pork. “Hunting can be a fun activity, but it actually makes the problem worse by causing the animals to scatter when they hear gunshots. The areas where we have had pressure from hunting contain some of the most difficult wild boar to capture, because they are now very well educated when it comes to human activity.”

In an alternative approach, the Government of Alberta created the Wild Boar Control Program, similar to the province’s strategy in combatting rats, which included expanded monitoring and professional trapping of wild boar, as well as crop insurance to mitigate the damage they cause.

When it comes to battling wild boar, it really does take a village. For their part, AISC adopted the ‘Squeal on Pigs!’ campaign that was started by invasive species authorities in the U.S., to raise awareness of the problem. The program encourages the public to report wild boar sightings.

At present, the focus in Alberta is on detection and removal of these interlopers, an effort driven largely by Alberta Pork.

“We have solid elimination efforts in place and scaled up our efforts this summer by doubling our staff of eradication specialists from two to four,” said Shipp. “In collaboration with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, we also hosted Canada’s first wild boar training session for our new hires. As part of this training focus, Alberta Pork reached out to several municipalities throughout the province and instructed their problem wildlife specialists, as well as training trappers from a number of Indigenous groups. The instruction has really increased the resources and knowledge base in Alberta around the trapping and eradication of wild boar.”

A captive audience

Work on wild boar is bearing fruit, with three captures reported by Alberta Pork in recent months. Traditionally, harvest season can be a tough time of year to target these animals, as food is abundant with crops coming off the field, and the flurry of activity on farms tends to scatter the creatures.

“Given the timing, we are very excited by these captures and what this could mean for the months ahead,” said Shipp.

Next up in the boar war is a collaring project in partnership with the University of Calgary, where GPS collars are carefully attached to the animals as a means of tracking their movement. As with any species, the priority of male feral pigs is searching for females, so following boars could really pay off in the end.

Though numbers can be hard to come by with these elusive creatures, some current figures bode well for the pork sector.

“To date, we have captured 458 wild boar,” said Shipp. “That includes 63 from our initial pilot project and 395 that were snagged by Alberta Pork’s eradication specialists. I’m looking forward to what may come this winter with our expanded team and hoping to see those numbers climb.”

Part of growing that total involves harnessing technology such as drones and cameras. By setting up a bank of cameras in a small area, users can better understand wild boar populations and how they are distributed in the province.

“The habitat favored by these animals is one that features food and shelter, and that tends to be agricultural zones where there are bushes and crops,” said McKenzie. “Our main problem spot is north-central Alberta and the zone around Highway 16, coming in at Lloydminster, through the parkland region, and up towards Mayerthorpe and Whitecourt. We’ve also had wild boar established for some time in the Lac St. Anne area.”

Another approach involves the use of remotely monitored corral traps – a highly effective method of controlling and catching large groups of wild boar. Composed of utility panels, square mesh and steel posts, they are usually designed as a circular trap, preventing captured animals from piling into corners and escaping over the top.

“When you factor in the reproductive capacity of a pregnant wild boar sow over a few years, removing an entire group is tremendous; it’s a huge win,” said Evans.

Winning the boar battle

As the battle continues, there are some steps that could help the ‘good guys’ in the war on wild boar. For example, there are currently no provincial prohibitions on new wild boar farms in Alberta. Unless you live in a municipality that has enacted a bylaw to ban such farms, you are free to open one, potentially adding to the problem for industry.

“That is definitely a problem in my mind,” said Evans. “The lack of a prohibition is low-hanging fruit that should be addressed as soon as possible.”

Though there is currently strong collaboration throughout the industry on this issue, more is always better.

“I think it will help to have a more coordinated approach nationally, which is what we’re working to build through the National Wild Pig Leadership Group,” said McElwain. “At present, all the reporting goes through different channels, so when someone calls in a sighting, it can be quite resource intensive to identify where the pig is, determine if it was actually a wild boar, and collect samples where possible.”

Given the potential implications of ASF reaching our country, McElwain views streamlining the process as critical for demonstrating that Canadian domestic pigs are not infected with the disease if a case should ever be reported here in wild boar. It could also aid in finding any cases quickly and containing them.

“I’m heartened to see that when it comes to preventing and preparing for ASF in Canada, we have had unprecedented collaboration among Animal Health Canada, provincial and territorial governments, the livestock and meat industries and, most recently, the National Wild Pig Leadership Group,” said McElwain.

Work is also ongoing with groups like the Canadian Council on Invasive Species, the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative and other organizations, including Indigenous groups.

“Together, we are starting to raise awareness of how important it is to manage wild pig populations,” said McElwain. “Because they are an invasive species, elements such as prevention, preparedness and surveillance are vital and continue to be a priority for our animal health stakeholders nationwide.”

Of course, there are no checkpoints asking wild boar for ID and turning them back at provincial borders, so this is truly a national dilemma.

Better together

“We certainly work closely with other provinces, especially Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as they encountered wild boar around the same time as we did, and have been through the same process,” said McKenzie. “As well, they have similar climates. We try and share what has been working in each province and what could be done differently. Although everyone knows their own province best, we all struggle with the same thing: wild boar are here, they reproduce quickly and they are a challenging species to control.”

Given those challenges, Albertans are encouraged to report any wild boar sightings to the authorities as soon as possible. You can report sightings through EDDMapS, by calling 310-3276 (FARM) or by filling out the ‘Report Wild Boar’ form on the Government of Alberta’s website.

There is still much work to be done in getting a solid grasp of numbers and the full extent of the threat. When it comes to wild boar management, however, Alberta has been a leader and was the first province to develop a formal control program.

“We don’t yet have an abundance of data, but there is considerable research underway,” said Evans. “The synergies created by government, academia, Alberta Pork and other organizations is beautiful to see, and it bodes well for the future.”