While Canadian producers are known for their high-quality product, he said in a recent interview, “it’s not just about what’s going on in Quebec or eastern Canada. Ken McEwan, a retired University of Guelph professor and agricultural economist, says Canada’s pork industry has always been sensitive to price fluctuations, in part because it is heavily dependent on exports - especially to the fickle Chinese market, which temporarily banned Canadian pork imports in 2019. Roy says the crisis shaking the industry is created by a “perfect storm” of factors, including COVID-19-induced slowdowns, labour shortages at pork plants, the closure of one of the province’s largest slaughterhouses, a glut of pork globally, high interest rates and skyrocketing grain prices that have driven the cost of feed up by 60 per cent.Īs a result, he said the Quebec farmers, who bargain collectively with the companies that slaughter and process hogs, have had to accept prices that see them lose between $15 to $20 per animal they produce. “It worries us enormously,” said Louis-Philippe Roy, president of a group representing pork producers in Quebec, who account for about 31 per cent of Canadian production. Recently, more than 20 per cent of producers in the province applied for a program to compensate farmers who severely reduce their herds or quit - a number that has shocked even industry leaders who are well aware of how tough things have become.

In the current economic climate, leaving pork production altogether seems to be the more popular option. “Despite everything that’s happening, we’re among those who still believe in (pig farming), despite the difficulties,” he said. In an interview at his farm in St-Sebastien, a rural community about 50 kilometres southeast of Montreal, Nadeau explained that the changes were made in part to ensure the farm complies with new federal animal welfare rules that come into force in 2029.

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