HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2014-04-16, Page 3Wednesday, April 16, 2014 • Huron Expositor 3
Pork producers in a state of flux
John Miner
QMI Agency
Imagine the early morning
walk to the barn for Ontario
pig farmers.
Knowing prices are con-
tinuing to tread in record -
high territory after years of
dismal returns, you might
finally have a spring in your
step.
But you also know that if a
devastating piglet -killing
virus sweeping North Amer-
ica managed to breach your
biosecurity measures, there
could be sick and dying pigs
on the other side of the barn
door.
And if that wasn't enough
uncertainty, there's news two
packing plants in Ontario
that process one-quarter of
the province's pigs filed for
bankruptcy protection this
month and quit accepting
animals.
"It's unprecedented. We're
just living day-to-day, to see
what the next interesting
thing will be," said Teresa
Van Raay, who raises pigs
with her husband Martin
near Grand Bend.
The virus rocking the
North American hog indus-
try, Porcine Epidemic
Diarrhea, is estimated to
have killed millions of pigs in
the United States and helped
send pork prices soaring.
Although it isn't a risk to
human health, PED is highly
lethal for nursing piglets and
was found in Canada on a
Middlesex farm in January.
Since then the virus has
been confirmed on 52
Ontario farms, including five
new cases reported in the
past week in Huron and
Lambton counties.
"It's disappointing for
sure," said Amy Cronin, chair
of Ontario Pork, the market-
ing board for the province's
pork producers.
The Ontario industry
believes PED was initially
spread across Ontario
through contaminated feed,
but is now being spread
through transportation.
"We know PED is a chal-
lenging virus because it's so
contagious, but our goal first
of all is to manage and con-
trol the virus," Cronin said.
"But we do want to eradicate
it:'
The virus doesn't do as
well in warmer weather, and
the hope is the number of
new cases will slow in the
spring and summer.
"We will have a pretty good
indication of how we're
doing once we get into the
fall, when we expect to see
the fewest cases and possibly
by then get rid of it," Cronin
said.
Getting the disease is one
worry facing farmers. Get-
ting paid for pigs is another
for some.
Quality Meat Packers Ltd.
and Toronto Abbattoirs Ltd.
filed for creditor protection
Driver flees scene after
causing multi -vehicle crash
Expositor staff
Huron County OPP are cur-
rently searching for a driver
who left the scene of a multi -
vehicle collision outside
Egmondville on April 8.
Police, along with the
Huron East Fire Department
and Huron County EMS per-
sonnel, responded to the four -
vehicle crash just after 9 p.m.
Further investigation
revealed a Pontiac Vibe had
been traveling southbound on
Kippen Road near Centennial
Road when a vehicle
attempted to pass, entered the
northbound lane and forced
oncoming vehicles off the
roadway. The overtaken Vibe
then collided with a north-
bound pickup truck, which
was trying to avoid the passing
vehicle. The pickup then spun
around and struck an SUV,
which had been following in
the northbound lane.
The overtaking vehicle
failed to remain at the scene.
The 80 -year-old male driver
of the Vibe, from Huron East,
was transported to hospital
with non -life threatening inju-
ries. He received treatment
and was later released.
Both the Vibe and pickup
were demolished in the colli-
sion, while the SUV sustained
only moderate damage.
Anyone with information
regarding the crash is asked to
call Huron OPP at 1-888-310-
1122 or (519)524-8314
Those wishing to remain
anonymous can call Crime
Stoppers at 1 -800 -222 -TIPS
(8477).
under bankruptcy legislation on April
3.
The companies that handle nearly 25
per cent of Ontario's pig production
emphasize they haven't gone bankrupt.
The move gives them protection from
creditors for an initial period of 30 days,
while they look at restructuring
alternatives.
In a statement on their trustee's web-
site, Quality Meat Packers and Toronto
Abattoirs said their financial positions
have been negatively affected by several
factors, including the volatility of the
price of pork.
Farmers who shipped pigs to Quality
Meats between March 31 and April 3
haven't been paid for their animals,
Cronin said.
"That's a huge proportion of the pigs
in the province, and it's very, very diffi-
cult for farmers who haven't been paid,"
she said. In an advisory to farmers
posted on its website, Ontario Pork
File photo
describes the sitioin as "extremely
unfortunate" and the board is still try-
ing to understand the scope of what it
means.
"Ontario Pork does not know the
impact yet this will have on the provin-
cial indusctry and will keep you
informed of next steps as they become
available," the advisory said.
Cronin said there was excess process-
ing capacity in Ontario before the two
plants stopped accepting hogs and
some other packers have been ramping
up to take on more hogs.
"We won't undertand the scope of
this impact for a little while. We just
have to give some time for farmers to
find new markets and then evalute if
there is enough capacity. In a few
weeks, we will have a much better idea
of what the picture will look like."
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Ontario pig facts
Ontario has 1,549 pork producers
who market 4.8 million hogs a year
Annual cash receipts more than $900
million, making it the eighth larg-
est agricultural commodity in Ontario
On the move: Spread of piglet -killing
PED virus in Ontario as of April 12.
Confirmed cases by county.
Huron: 11
Oxford: 9
Perth: 6
Bruce: 6
Lambton: 3
Elgin: 3
Chatham-Kent:2
Middlesex: 2
Niagara: 2
Norfolk: 1
Simcoe: 1
Haldimand: 1
Hamilton -Wentworth: 1
Leeds -Grenville: 1
Wellington: 1
Essex: 1
Brant: 1
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HOLY WEEK MASS SCHEDULE
AT LOCAL CATHOLIC CHURCHES
HOLY THURSDAY, APRIL 17
7:30 pm St. Patrick's Church, Dublin
GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 18
11:00 am St. Patrick's Church, Dublin
3:00 pm St. James Church, Seaforth
EASTER VIGIL, SATURDAY, APRIL 19
8:00 pm St. James Church, Seaforth
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 20
9:00 am St. James Church, Seaforth
11:00 ani
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MI 64
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St. Patrick's Church, Dublin
Wishing you
& your families
a
Happy Easter!
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