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The Rural Voice, 2001-04, Page 73PERTH 'Mk County Pork Producers NEWSLETTER Jim Van Herk, President 519-595-4863 • The Rural Voice is provided to Perth County Pork Producers by the PCPPA. Increasing value through supply -chain management Any opinions expressed herein may not necessarily reflect the views of the Perth County Pork Producers' Association. I am writing this newsletter the day after coming home from Ontario Pork's Annual General Meeting. It is also Ontario Pork's 60th Anniversary. I am going to attempt to capture the essence of the two days just past which will probably not be entirely possible. I will be taking excerpts from the Chairman's Report, Executive Director's Address and some of the Resolution Report 2001. I think one of the take-home messages is the promotion of supply chains as being the model for producers, processors and retailers. According to Dr. Vincent Amour Brodu, supply chains are the vertical integration of functional activities, performed along the production, procurement, processing and retail supply chain continuum to enhance customer and consumer satisfaction and to increase chain partners' competitiveness. In order to succeed, those supply chains have to benefit ALL partners, focus on customers and consumers, minimize risk for all partners and help partners seize new marketing opportunities. Dr. Gary Smith made a presentation to the Canadian Meat Council Annual Meeting in Vancouver in February on "Increasing Value by Supply -Chain Management" which Clare Schlegel attended. The biggest problem he said is creating harmony in an antagonistic industry that thrives on win -lose relationships. In order for everyone to succeed in this chain it must not be controlled by any one of the segments but must be shared. It would have to be consumer driven and not production drive. So what are the consumer demands? Consumer demand drivers are: Price, Food Safety, Proper Nutrition, Convenience, Taste and a Consistent Quality, to name a few. When they go back to the retailer to make a second purchase will they find exactly the same product that pleased them the first time? Nothing will soften demand more than inconsistency. Branded products will help ensure that the consumer will be able to buy the same consistent product again. At a conference of the Colorado Livestock Association, Joe Luter, who is CEO of the largest totally vertically integrated production -to - processing pork corporations said that he is going to have to get bigger because of the consolidation that has taken place among retailers because he needs the leverage to be able to say no to the retailers and he said to beef, pork and lamb producers that they must be able to say no to him. This is the very reason for a strong marketing board. I have met Bill Charlton a couple of. times and he strikes me as very approachable, hard working and a good listener. He says in his address to the AGM that "often we get caught up in the immediate quick fix and never address the root problem. We need to focus on the long term solution." The resolutions that were debated at Ontario Pork's AGM in general involve issues of equal access, fairness, environment, concern about the increasing retail share of the consumer food dollar, levelling the playing field in regards to safety nets and strengthening of resolve to make Ontario Pork the marketer of all Ontario produced hogs. The next meeting of Perth County Pork Producers' Association will be in Rostock Hall, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. As usual this meeting is open to all pork producers and not just directors.0 Submitted by Gerald H. Kolkman PERTH COUNTY PORK PRODUCERS' PORK PRODUCTS • Smoked Pork Chops • Fresh Pork Chops • Stuffed Loin Chops • Smoked Sausage • Smoked Cheddar Sausage • Bacon Burgers • Teriyaki Pork Steaks • Vittorio's BBQ Sauce AVAILABLE FROM: Steve Hulshof (Kinkora) 348-8167 Martin van Bakel (Dublin) 345-2666 Walter Bosch (Monkton) 356-9000 Ted Keller (Mitchell) 348-9836 APRIL 2001 69