Canada’s livestock sectors have been anxious about the prospect of tariffs since Donald Trump won the American election in November. Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president at the Canadian Cattle Association, said without knowing exactly what is coming, the organization could analyze the threatened tariffs only so much.
Analysts believe American tariffs are inevitable
Cattle producers less vulnerable for now than feeders, hog producers analysts say
Smaller U.S. swine herd likely as Prop 12 takes effect, think tank says
Canadian pork sector concerned the animal welfare law will act as a non-tariff trade barrier
The cost of compliance with a California animal welfare law, which takes full effect on New Year’s Day, will likely shrink the U.S. national hog herd and lead to further consolidation, a Washington State think tank says. “No one will be spared the change in market pressures,” wrote Pam Lewison, director for the Washington Policy […] Read more
Strong demand, lower supplies support North American hog prices
MarketsFarm — Hog prices in North America typically come under pressure heading into fall, as the end of barbecue season coincides with more hogs coming to slaughter. However, strong global demand has propped up hog prices in recent weeks, with cash prices increasing by over 25 per cent. Fewer hogs coming to market, coupled with […] Read more
Hog sector hit hard by pandemic
Market weakness seen likely to push some farmers out of business
MarketsFarm — COVID-19 has hit the hog sector hard, with the double-edged sword of large supplies and reduced demand weighing heavily on the market. “The prospect of profitability at current forward prices and at current cash prices is nil… and there’s really no prospect of making anything this year,” said Tyler Fulton, director of risk […] Read more
Pig farmers seek aid of $20 per hog against market crash
Losses of $675 million expected from COVID-19-related causes
Canada’s hog producers seek an immediate federal cash injection equivalent to $20 per hog against a market crash that’s expected to cost their sector about $675 million overall. Officials with the Canadian Pork Council on Thursday called for Ottawa to provide further aid to hog farmers who are now expecting to lose $30 to more […] Read more
Strong foreign demand boosts North American hog markets
MarketsFarm — While the volume of hogs at North American slaughter markets have kept packing plants near capacity in recent weeks, strong foreign export demand has kept pork values high. “We expect pork values to move higher, due to the shortness of production in China,” said Brad Marceniuk, a Saskatchewan provincial livestock economist in Saskatoon. […] Read more
The situation is better, but Alberta’s pork sector not out of the woods yet
After a dreadful summer, prices are better but producers still losing money, says analyst
Reading Time: 2 minutes Hog markets have improved since early fall, but the situation is far from great. “In terms of the current prices, there’s nothing spectacular,” said Ron Gietz, an extension specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Still, that’s an improvement on the spectacularly bad period last summer when hog prices plunged by more than 40 per cent […] Read more
Canadian hog prices on rebound
CNS Canada — Improving trade relations and the emergence of swine fever in China have made their presence felt on the Canadian hog market. Weekly signature No. 5 base slaughter weight cash hog prices averaged $117.83 per 100 kg as of Friday, up by roughly $15 over the past two weeks. Those numbers are a […] Read more
Price plunge spells disaster for Alberta hog farmers
Demand is strong, Canadian packers are short 70,000 hogs weekly, but prices have plunged
Reading Time: 5 minutes A crash in prices — fuelled by Washington’s tariff war — could spell the end for many of Alberta’s dwindling number of hog operations. The sector has already lost half of its hog farms in the past decade and with producers losing $50 on every animal they ship, more are looking at throwing in the […] Read more
Pork exports key in 2018 as U.S. slaughter ramps up
CNS Canada –– Canadian pork producers should see higher returns for their product in the spring of 2018, but whether those prices last may determine how successful Canada is at tapping new markets. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture supply estimates, weekly U.S. hog slaughter numbers over the past two months have averaged 2.369 million […] Read more
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