Canada Studies New Environmental Standard for Hogs

OTTAWA - Jul 4/02 - SNS -- The Canadian government is working with the Canadian Pork Council to develop a new environmental standard for hog barns in that country.

The work is being helped by another $300,000 grant to the Canadian Pork Council's (CPC) National Environmental Management System Initiative. The money is intended to help it complete a strategy document and conduct pilot projects to test its effectiveness.

The CPC also received $300,000 for the first phase of its work on which it is partnering with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The Council has contracted the Canadian Standards Association to help guide the industry through the process of developing the standard. The funding was provided by AAFC's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) fund.

CPC President Edouard Asnong praised the announcement of additional funding to develop the standard. "Our goal is to provide hog farmers with a financially viable, practical, and verifiable standard which will complement existing environmental policies, laws and regulations," he said. "We want to reassure the public about Canadian hog producers' commitment to and respect for the environment."

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