Ottawa, ON - The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) is pleased to announce that John Ross has been chosen as its new executive director. John will start February 29th, 2016 and will work with the current executive director, Martin Rice, during a transition period leading up to Martin's retirement at the end of April.
John will be retiring from the federal public service in mid-February. He brings to CPC a wealth of experience in various government positions and a lifelong passion for livestock. Over the past 30 years he has worked through a series of livestock and red meat related positions focusing largely on industry development issues.Specifically, he has been involved in the implementation of genetic improvement programs, the creation of the domestic and export market development strategies, and the national pork, beef and sheep roundtables.He also has chaired, since its inception, the Canadian industry/government steering committee for the country-of-origin labelling (COOL) dispute.
"We are very excited to have John on our team. John will bring his knowledge and experience from the public sector to our organization. Having worked on livestock development issues for most his career with Agricultureand Agri-Food Canada, his skills, leadership and experience are what our industry needs in a senior position at this time," said Rick Bergmann, Chair.
"I look forward to continuing to work with pork producers and partner with the industry value chain in this new capacity", remarks John."The CPC plays a key role in supporting and further strengthening the Canadian pork industry and I am both honoured and excited at the prospect of joining the Council's team."
The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) serves as the national voice for hog producers in Canada. It represents nine provincial pork industry associations and approximately 7,000 hog farms, producing 25.5 million animals a year and generating over $13 billion in economic activity. The 31,000 farm jobs they create contribute to the total direct, indirect and induced $23.8 billion and 103,000 jobs across the country. The organization's purpose is to play a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector.
Source: CPC