By Don Patterson
Staff Reporter
Nearly 600,000 pounds of pork will be culled and distributed to food banks as part of a national program. photo submitted |
Food bank stocks across the country will get a boost with a nation-wide cull of Canada’s pork breading herd.
Alberta Agriculture Minister and Highwood MLA George Groeneveld said about 4,000 animals will be culled in the province under the federal government’s Cull Breeding Swine Program and usable meat will be distributed to food banks.
“The largest number will be in Manitoba, in Alberta here alone it’s 600,000 pounds of pork,” he said. “We’re helping with the slaughter costs and the pork people are the distribution.”
Under the arrangement, the Government of Alberta will put $300,000 towards processing the swine into usable meat with the Alberta Food Bank Network Association funding the remainder. Alberta Pork will oversee the donation program, working with Sunterra Meats, Lucerne Foods and the Western Hog Exchange to process and transport the meat.
Groeneveld said some food banks may not have refrigerating capacity to keep large quantities of raw meat on hand and this may impact how the meat is distributed.
Okotoks Pastor Don Hall said he heard about the program but hasn’t determined whether or not the Okotoks Food Bank will receive any meat.
“I haven’t heard anything; I’m not even sure how the process works,” he said.
The cull is one strategy being used to address a number of problems facing the pork industry, such as overpopulation, feed prices and a higher Canadian
dollar.
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