Facts & Figures About the Pork Industry

In General:

2900 pork producers in Ontario marketed 5.43 million hogs in 2007, down 4.2% from 2006.
Half of those farms market less than 500 pigs per year. An example of a large farm in Ontario would be a barn that could house 2500 sows.
Although farms are larger today than in the past, the numbers of animals have remained constant. Most of the counties in Ontario produce no more pork, have less animals, and produce less manure than 100 years ago.
Ontario markets approximately 100,000 pigs a week. The United States markets approximately 2 million pigs a week.
Ontario’s pork industry contributed $4.7 billion and 33,000 jobs from “farm to fork” to the provincial economy in 2006.
Statistics Canada numbers for 2007:
- 14.4 million pigs in Canada
- 3.8 million pigs in Ontario ( 8800 boars, 408,000 sows & gilts)

Market Hog Prices:

Total value of sales for market hogs in 2007 was $693.2 million, up $5.6 million (0.8%) from a year ago.
The average market hog value was $132. The average cost to raise a market hog was $151.
Average pool price was $121 per 100 kg, down $8 from 2006; Average pool plus price was $124 down $6 from 2006; Average contract price was $126, down 6% from 2006.

North American & Export Markets:

Ontario's share of the North American hog market was 3.7%.
Ontario exported 1.1 million weanling pigs (pigs weighing less than 50 kg)
Ontario meat processors handled 81.2% of all hog sales; while U.S. purchased 11.4% and Quebec 7.4%.
Canada imported 119.7 million kilograms of pork, up 10.7% from 2007. Canada exported 997 million kilograms of pork, down 4% from 2006.
The U.S. was our major pork export market with a 35.4% share, Japan at 21.9%, and Mexico at 5.2%
Two counties in North Carolina produce more hogs than all of Canada.

About Pork Producers:

44% of Ontario's pork producers market less than 500 hogs per year.
Pork producer numbers, like all farm numbers, have continually declined, down by 85% from the highest number of 20,354 pork producers in 1979.
The largest numbers of producers market between 500 and 3,000 hogs per year. This is not surprising, as today's farmers tend to specialize in one commodity, rather than the mixed farming of the past.
Over 98% of Canada's farms are still family owned and operated. Ontario's swine industry remains dominated by the family farm. The diversity of the 2,900 farms is their strength, but also makes it hard to describe "average" or "typical" farms.

Economic Contributions:

Estimated total value of sales from Ontario hogs for 2003 was $736 million
Ontario’s pork industry as a whole contributed $4.7 billion and 33,000 jobs to the provincial economy in 2007.
1 in 7 jobs in Canada are in the agri-food sector.*