Free pulled pork draws hundreds to downtown rally
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 | 4:11 PM MT
CBC News
Alberta Agriculture Minister George Groeneveld serves pulled pork in Calgary. (CBC) Hundreds of Calgary residents lined up for free pulled pork on a bun in support of producers worried about the effect misconceptions about swine flu are having on their industry.
Roy Kruse, a spokesman for Alberta Pork, estimated they served 3,000 sandwiches outside the McDougall Centre downtown on Wednesday.
"We have to remember that Alberta pork is safe to eat," said Alberta Agriculture Minister George Groeneveld, who spoke to the crowd. "These people have gotten caught up in a rather untenable situation … Pork barbecue is as good as anything so let's all help out the cause here."
About 10 countries, including China, banned Canadian pork products last week after the H1N1 influenza A virus was found on a central Alberta pig farm, even though health and veterinary officials have said there is no risk of getting the virus by eating pork.
The virus is believed to have originated in Mexico and has spread to humans in several countries, including the U.S. and Canada. On Wednesday, Alberta announced eight new confirmed cases of swine flu bringing the provincial total to 61.
A similar rally was held in Edmonton on Tuesday, where organizers estimated they served about 2,000 sandwiches.
Lethbridge-area pork producer Mark Wipf, who attended the Edmonton event, said he has been losing $10,000 a week since prices dropped in the wake of fears over swine flu. The hog industry has suffered through a few tough years, and things were on their way up when prices started to drop, he said.
He hopes the countries that have banned Canadian pork will reconsider once they see Canadians eating meat from domestic producers.
