New AgriRecovery funding is being made available for hog farmers in Alberta, following a major backlog of around 100,000 hogs in recent weeks.

The $4-million program is funded 60 per cent from the federal government, and 40 per cent from the Government of Alberta.

“The Canada-Alberta hog recovery initiative is proposed to address disruptions to hog-processing capacity and backlogs in the supply chain,” said CEO of the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) Darryl Kay.

Back in May 2020, the AgriRecovery Program aided the livestock sector when a backlog occurred at cattle feedlots, providing $42.3 million through a set-aside program.

Now, a major backlog in the hog industry comes as a result of the shutdown of Olymel, one of the country’s largest meat packing companies.

The Red Deer pork plant saw hundreds of active COVID-19 cases, forcing a shut down on Feb. 15. They resumed operations last Thursday.

While the facility was temporarily shuttered, producers who typically shipped market-ready hogs to Olymel were left without anywhere to send their product.

“The problem is it’s not like grain or anything, these hogs, they have to move,” said Stan Vanessen, the owner of AVE Farms near Picture Butte, Alta.

Brian Markert, owner of Premium Farms in Vulcan, Alta., says he ships just less than half of his hogs to Olymel. His farm was able to adjust, and eventually send some product outside the province.

“In the past we’ve raised pigs outdoors in biotech shelters, and so we still have those available to us and we have been putting them out there,” Markert explained.

Markert says he’s glad to see the government acted so swiftly in making the funding announcement.

Markert says he’s glad to see the government acted so swiftly in making the funding announcement.