The government of Manitoba is expressing its support for the creation of all risk mortality insurance for the hog sector.
As part of yesterday’s speech from the throne, the Manitoba government announced plans to enhance agricultural insurance programs including the introduction of new products to assist sectors that have not traditionally accessed these programs.
New insurance products being discussed include bee replacement insurance, insurance for cattle producers and all peril mortality insurance for the hog sector.
Provincial agriculture minister Stan Struthers says, while details will be worked out moving forward, all peril mortality insurance is intended to benefit all hog producers.
Right now a hog producer can buy some insurance on his buildings.
Should he have a fire he can be protected there but he’s not when it comes to the actual hogs that are contained within that structure and I think we need to be cognoscente of disease problems and other things that are worrisome to hog producers and I think we need to put together a plan that will work for all of these producers of pigs in Manitoba.
I can see a role for government in terms of initially sending a strong signal to pork producers and the Manitoba Pork leadership and brokers through which the pork industry has been negotiating.
We want to send a strong message that this provincial government is supportive.
There may be a role that we can play in terms of financial help in moving forward although we do have to be careful in terms of trade sanctions and those sorts of things so all of that will be worked out as we negotiate further.
Struthers says the pork industry is facing a range of risks including fire and disease and challenges such as Country of Origin Labelling and a high Canadian dollar but through all peril mortality insurance programs some of that risk and worry can be eliminated.
Source: Farmscape.Ca
