Farmscape for June 6, 2011   (Episode 3593)

The vice-chair of Manitoba Pork Council suggests collaborative efforts aimed at addressing common challenges are key to helping strengthen relations between the Canadian and U.S. pork industries.

A delegation representing Manitoba Pork Council will travel to Des Moines, Iowa this week to take part in World Pork Expo.

The annual event attracts a wide cross section of pork producers and pork industry equipment and service providers from around the world.

Manitoba pork Council vice-chair Rick Bergmann says members of the delegation, which will include members of the organization's executive and staff, will be meeting with representatives of U.S. national and state pork organizations as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen relations and promote trade.

Clip-Rick Bergmann-Manitoba Pork Council:
The key topics certainly would again just the continuation of having good trade and good relationships between the two groups and organizations.

I'm involved in the research, sustainable development area here in Manitoba with Pork Council so some of my collaboration will be on research that they're involved with, if some of that is applicable to our world in Manitoba and continuing to work together with the U.S. industry.

Collaboration opportunities would include the eradication or the attempt to eradicate the PRRS virus.

That's really affected the North American industry so collaboration between the groups in regards to focusing on getting rid of one problem is a great way to kind of build our relationship with them.

Bergmann notes Manitoba Pork Council has been focusing on improving relations for the past eight year's or so and every year the benefits of that become more apparent.

He notes Manitoba's pork producers depend on exports and our neighbors to the south want a product that we're great at producing so it's important to maintain good relations and build on them if possible.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council