Saskatchewan herd health could determine 2022 profitability

By Bruce Cochrane, Farmscape

A partner with Polar Pork Farms says health status will be key in determining the economic strength of Saskatchewan's pork sector in the coming year.

Amid feed costs that are more than double those of one year ago, lower global swine production resulting from losses due to African Swine Fever and herd reductions due to low returns, especially in China, have reduced global pork supplies.

Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork Farms, says we really didn't drop our production very much at all in Canada and should be in a good position through 2022 and into 2023.

 “Locally, in Saskatchewan, we've benefitted from having just phenomenal health. Other parts of North American, including Manitoba and Ontario, have struggled with PED and PRRS and other challenges. We've been sparred that largely or almost exclusively in Saskatchewan so that's been a great benefit. North America has benefitted because Russia and Europe and China and the whole of southeast Asia have challenged by African Swine Fever and even in parts with Foot and Mouth Disease. We've been sparred that in North America,” said Florian Possberg of Polar Pork Farms. “We cross our fingers. We do all we can, follow very strict biosecurity measures and monitoring so that we can keep those things out of our province. As long as we can keep those things out, we'll have an advantage but, because of the amount of freight going back and forth between Asia and North America, the chance of getting African Swine Fever is always there.”

Possberg expects high construction costs to discourage expansion, other than in China, which may expand rapidly if producers see significant profits.

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