The Pork Industry in British ColumbiaProduction of pork in BC began as a small industry in the early 1960's and has seen many changes over the years. Today there are over 200,000 market hogs and 45,000 roaster hogs produced and slaughtered annually in BC. Ninety six percent of this production can be found in the Fraser Valley, the remainder is produced in the Okanagan, Vancouver Island and the Peace River areas. The BC pork industry is governed by 2 boards: the BC Pork Producers Association (BCPPA) and the BC Hog Marketing Commission (BCHMC). The BCPPA consists of 3 producers who are elected by their peers. They represent the industry in areas of food quality, animal care, environment, consumer education and research. The BCHMC consists of 4 members, 3 of whom are elected by their peers and the chairperson is appointed by the government. The commission's mandate is to market the hogs at the most equitable price for the producers and collect a levy on each hog sold in BC to fund the daily operational costs of the two boards. |