More help from the public trough for the corporate hog sector
by Larry Powell Manitoba’s hog industry is delighted with the latest infusion of money into swine research. Ottawa has just announced that another $18.5 million will be spent over 5 years to look into the nutrition, health and care of the nation’s swine herds, along with their "environmental sustainability" and the quality of the pork. Canadian taxpayers will pay almost $13 million of that amount, the rest from industry. This is in addition to more than $30 million already spent over the past decade (by both industry and taxpayers) for other so-called “agri-science” research. The group representing pig producers and processors, Manitoba Pork , hails the announcement as “Great news!” It says the research will be “industry-led,” and will “bring together experts in the public and private sectors to help increase the competitiveness of the Canadian pork sector.” (Conveniently, the industry statement makes no mention of the apparent provision in the federal