OTTAWA, ONTARIO — The Canadian Pork Council and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are developing details of the Hog Farm Transition Program (H.F.T.P.).

They met on Aug. 21 to continue discussions on defining how the program will operate. The H.F.T.P. is one prong of a three-pronged federal assistance package announced on Aug. 15. The other two prongs include a long-term loan program and an export development fund.

"Every day is critical," said Jurgen Preugschas, C.P.C. chairman. "Both the Pork Council and the federal government understand the urgency of obtaining formal approval of program details in the swiftest possible manner. Both organizations are committed to working on the application process, setting up the auction system and getting money into the hands of producers as soon as humanly possible."

Provided during this most recent meeting were presentations on similar programs, including the B.S.E. Fed Cattle Set-Aside Program, the Tobacco Assistance Program and the U.S. Dairy Herd Buyout Program, to give some insights into how other programs functioned.

Participants agreed the program’s objectives should be to allow producers to consider both the long-term loan program and the H.F.T.P.; enable producers to exit the sector; contribute to permanently reducing Canada's hog production capacity; provide equal access to all operation types without bias (farrow-to-finish, farrow-to-wean, weaner and finisher operations); and to provide equal access regionally without bias.