The government has appointed Mrs. Cynthia Currie to a second term as Chairperson of the National Farm Products Council. Her term runs through May, 2005.

Mrs. Currie looks forward to building on her first-term work, including the workshops and seminars that have helped industry leaders to focus on profitability, globalization, and other key issues. She will also lead Council in renewing its strategic plan.

Staff appointments

Shivalee Paliwal and Sean Ramsingh have joined our staff for the summer, as part of the Government of Canada's Student Work Experience Program. Both are University of Ottawa students: Shivalee studies mathematics and Sean is enrolled in law. Both will be working on a number of projects and learning more about the industry.

Global Awareness report available

What happens when you bring together 200 industry leaders with a dozen forward-looking thinkers?

Read the results in the report from the Forum on Global Awareness, available on our Web site in early June at www.nfpc-cnpa.gc.ca. If you prefer to obtain a printed copy, please call Carole Hotte at (613) 995-6752.

The forum provided an opportunity for the poultry and egg industry and the NFPC to learn about the trends in today's dynamic global marketplace, as well as how other countries are responding.

The report summarizes the presentations and discussions, and raises strategic questions for industry leaders and government to consider. Among other things, these include the recommendation from several presenters that the industry needs to create a coherent strategy that best positions Canada for the future.

The full presentations are available on our Web site.

Poultry production rises

Poultry farmers produced 4.0% more poultry meat in 2001 than they did in 2000, and egg production gained 3.7% according to Statistics Canada. It also reported that per-capita chicken consumption reached 30.3 Kg, while beef consumption eased to 30.7 Kg per capita. Turkey consumption declined to 4.2 Kg and egg consumption increased to 16 dozen.

Info on trade missions

CanadExport, published by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, provides useful information on trade missions. It also promotes Canadian exports through market intelligence gathered by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service and its network of Trade Officers around the world. You can obtain CanadExport electronically and in print. To subscribe, visit www.canadexport.gc.ca.

Middle East Workshop

About 30 poultry processors, further processors, and other food-manufacturing representatives gained valuable insight into the growing halal market at the Middle East Workshop in Toronto. Several of them held one-on-one meetings with six visiting buyers. The NFPC developed the workshop with the support of Agriculture and Agrifood Canada.

Halal products are prepared in conformity with Islamic law. The worldwide Muslim population of 1.8 billion is growing faster than the halal food supply, creating an excellent opportunity for Canadian exporters to capture new markets.

Check the informative Halal Food Markets Report from the Agri-Food Trade Service at http://sea.agr.ca/info/africa/e3281.htm.

NAASA meeting

The four national marketing agencies and the new beef cattle promotion and research agency met in May with the National Association of Agri-Food Supervisory Agencies (NAASA), the organization that links the NFPC and its provincial counterparts. The four agencies presented their perspective on the challenges facing the poultry and egg industry. NAASA also heard from the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council (CPEPC) and the Further Poultry Processors Association of Canada (FPPAC). NAASA also held an informative session on modern governance. It also received a presentation from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada about the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF).

Council business

The Council meeting in January included a discussion about our governance, which is how we control and direct our operations. The Council will develop a governance handbook and define the best practices needed to ensure that we remain accountable for what we do.

In April, the Council met in London, Ontario during the London Poultry Show. Chairperson Cynthia Currie, accompanied by Vice-Chairperson Ron O'Connor and Executive Director Terry Hayward, met with the full Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission to review the status of several initiatives. These initiatives included the renewal of the federal-provincial agreements for eggs, turkey, and broiler hatching eggs.

Beef agency update

The new beef cattle promotion and research agency held its organizing meeting in March and elected its first executive. Headed by its first Chairperson, Marlin Beever, the agency is working to develop the domestic levy collection system and a levy order for Council's consideration, both expected this summer.

Directory to support Canadian exporters

The Council will begin work soon on an updated directory of companies interested in export markets. We intend to publish the directory by the end of the year for use at international trade shows, and to put the directory online at our Web site. The Council is also considering creating an export Web site and newsletter to provide timely, accurate information about export opportunities and Canadian capabilities.

USDA report

The USDA's economic research service has published a report on how the American poultry, egg, and pork industries have improved the control of production through contracting and vertical integration. The report points to the role of new specialized large-scale production technologies and the efficient use of information. It notes that faster production speeds, product perishability, and the costs of measuring and sorting all drove up transaction costs, and describes how the U.S. industry responded with contracts and vertical coordination. The report offers an interesting perspective on how an industry operates without the benefit of a supply management system. Look for it at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer807.

MEETINGS
June 9-12	CPEPC Meeting (Whistler, BC)
June 10	National Farm Products Council Meeting (Whistler, BC)
June 20-21	CTMA Meeting (Victoria, BC)
June 26-28	Federal/Provincial/Terretorial Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (Halifax, NS)
July 8-10	CEMA Meeting (Saskatoon, SK)
July 9-11	CBHEMA Meeting (Charlevoix, QC)
July 16-18	CFC Meeting (St. John's, NFLD)
August 10	Canadian Cattlemen's Association Meeting (Winnipeg, MB)