Farmscape for December 12, 2011   (Episode 4029)

The Chair of the Banff Pork Seminar Advisory Committee says the 2012 edition of the annual event will focus on providing pork producers the tools that will help them prepare to feed a growing global population.

The theme of the 41st Banff Pork Seminar, set for January 17 to 20 in Banff, Alberta, is "Feeding Tomorrow's World."

Jim Haggins, the Chair of the Banff Pork Seminar Advisory Committee and Chair of Alberta Pork, notes the global population recently hit seven billion people, the forecast is for another two billion by 2050 and it will be a challenge for all food producing nations to ramp up production to maintain the supplies of good sound nutrition for that expanding global population.

Clip-Jim Haggins-Alberta Pork:
As you can appreciate over 41 years the industry has changed significantly and the seminar itself changes along with it depending on what is happening within the industry and what is expected to happen in the years ahead.

That's the main purpose of the advisory committee who have feet on the ground in the industry, are involved in it from a day to day basis, so their forecast of the future of production, the future of the industry in general and their expertise within the industry whether it be through research or production or supply to the industry is all very important in determining the direction of the seminar and it has been able to keep up and keep ahead of evolving issues in the industry to help producers over time address productivity issues and supply issues et cetera.

Haggins says as people in the developing countries earn more money they're altering their diets accordingly and eating more protein, so the challenge will be to produce pork as efficiently as possible and to do it in a way that's sustainable for the longer term.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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