Farmscape for November 29, 2016

The President of Canada Pork International reports the Verified Canadian Pork logo is now being requested by Japanese retailers who carry Canadian pork.
Verified Canadian Pork is a new marketing program designed to distinguish Canadian pork from the competition both abroad and domestically.
Greg Giokas, the President of Canada Pork International says the VCP logo identifies Canadian pork as a product that offers traceability, adherence to animal welfare standards, that is produced without growth hormones or Ractopamine or things like that and that is high quality.

Clip-Greg Giokas-Canada Pork International:
The importance of that and I'll just speak about Japan because this is the market where we're getting the highest value but it's equally true for consumers everywhere.
It distinguishes Canadian product on the basis of quality and quality that is reliable, trusted and documented.
The Japanese don't just like this or appreciate it, they expect it and demand it.
When they're looking at product they need to know and want to know, actually consumers will ask these questions.
They would like to know, how can you say that it's different.
What we're experience now with this program, within the four months that we've rolled it out in Japan, is that they're requesting the label to put on the retail shelves because they believe that it will make money for them selling to their consumers a product that has identification with Canada and is verified through documentation for the quality and the traceability and all of the attributes that are associated with high quality product in the Japanese market.
The VCP, Verified Canadian Pork logo and program, distinguishes us from the competition in a very positive that gains us a premium and also consumer relationships that are durable.

Giokas says Canada can't compete as a commodity.
He says there are single plants in Europe and the United States that produce as much as Canada produces.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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