Canadian swine herds being thinned

OTTAWA, April 14 (UPI) -- A federal subsidy for Canadian pig farmers began Monday to pay them to shrink an oversupply by about 10 percent.

The Federal Cull Breeding Swine Program will pay $225 per animal culled to pork producers who agree to empty at least one barn of breeding stock for a minimum of three years, the Canadian Pork Council Web site said.

The program has a $50 million spending cap and farmers must register to participate, the council said.

"The target is a 10-percent reduction in Canada's breeding herd to help reduce an over-supply of hogs and improve prices and allow producers an opportunity to exit the industry," the council said.

Farmers must agree their animals being culled don't enter the human food chain and are disposed of in environmentally legal fashion. The council said it was permissible for the culled pigs to be rendered for use in pet food.