Ontario pork producers flee industry

Swine farmers in Ontario, Canada, are leaving the business at a rapid rate, according to the London (Ontario) Free Press. Their number of pork producers is just 2,300, a 6.1% reduction in the past year — and down from 5,500 a decade ago.

They’re being forced out by rising feed costs and declining market value for hogs, which totaled CAN$574M in 2009, a 16.7% drop from 2008.

Wilma Jeffray, chairwoman of Ontario Pork, said the 2009 swine flu scare led to millions of dollars in lost sales. Ontario hog farmers also contend that farmers in Quebec and the United States have greater access to government subsidies.