SAINT-BERNARD, QUEBEC — DuBreton requested support from all members of the Quebec National Assembly for it to be excluded from the Quebec pork producers’ joint plan.
The company launched an online petition in February. Within the past week, it has reached over 2,000 signatures, including support from stakeholders like Jean Garon, the Canada Organic Trade Association and the municipalities of Rivière-du-Loup and Saint-Bernard.
“We want to be excluded from the Quebec pork producers’ joint plan and from collective marketing, and to stop financing mass pork production, and this support is essential to our efforts,” said Vincent Breton, president of duBreton.
DuBreton voiced concerns of being a part of the Quebec pork producers’ joint plan, namely the company’s production of specialty pork that involves several production requirements unlike mass-produced pork.
According to duBreton, the Éleveurs de porc du Québec has never been amended to reflect the interests of specialty pork breeders.
DuBreton added that existing assistance programs like Assurance Stabilisation du Revenu Agricole (ASRA) have become programs adapted to support the commodity pork industry contrary to their historical mission of ensuring a stable income for all producers. As an example, duBreton cited the special hog detour fee deducted from the paychecks of specialty hog producers, while they receive no assistance for the higher costs associated with their specialty production.