are being offered money to close up shop as part of a provincewide strategy to cut annual production by one million hogs.and food markets board in the coming days or weeks. It will cost around $80-million, an expense that will be borne by both producers and Quebec taxpayers. But despite the hefty price tag, advocates say the move is necessary to align the supply of pork with the province’s declining processing capacity, and prevent the price of the meat from falling further than it already has.
The pandemic, labour shortages and – crucially – booming growth in China’s pork industry have combined to make a difficult business environment for Quebec producers. Pork This will mean that every producer who remains in the sector must pay $2.86 to the union for every hog they sell, to cover producers’ share of the expense,“We understand we need the taxpayer helping us‚ but at the same time we bring lots of money, too,” Mr. Roy said.
There is no guarantee that enough pork producers will volunteer to join the program. If too few of them retire, then Les Éleveurs de porcs du Québec will mandate that all producers cut production by a set percentage. “Because of the collective system, it affects everybody,” he said. “If Starbucks closes the store, usually the small café down the street isn’t paying for Starbucks to close the store.”