After spending the first month and a half of 2017 behind last year's pace, Canadian hog slaughter numbers are starting to creep ahead.
Agriculture and Agri-food Canada notes so far 2.91 million head have been processed across the country.
That's 20,000 more than the same time last year, an increase of 0.7 per cent.
Producers appear to be on top of marketings however, as total pork production this year is down 1.2 per cent, the equivalent of 3,500 tonnes of meat.
Prices reported for the third week of February were up between 4 and 9 points for all provinces.
Ontario prices are up almost $15 per 100kg dressed weight on this time last year, a jump of 8 per cent.
AAFC also points out 2017 live pork exports to the U.S. are down 3.2 per cent from a year ago, while fresh and frozen pork imports from the States have increased by 11.2 per cent.
