The Chair of Manitoba Pork says restoring hog production to levels needed to supply the province’s pork processing plants will be among the sector’s priorities during 2018.
2017 has seen a number of challenges to and changes within Manitoba’s pork sector.
George Matheson, the chair of Manitoba Pork says among the key developments this past year have been the disease challenges faced by the province’s pork producers, changes in government regulations that will allow the construction of new production facilities and the introduction of new programs to help producers interested in barn renovation or construction.
Starting in the spring of 2017 we had an outbreak of PED in the province. In the end we ended up with 80 cases. We’ve made great progress in regards to containing this disease and also eradicating it. Also the passage of Bill 24 by the provincial government was key. And Manitoba Pork Council has decided to create a Swine Development Corporation to assist producers who are interested in building barns.
There’s been a far bit of interest, contacts with the Manitoba Pork Council office in regards to what the requirements might be. I believe there will be up to four new barns that are in the planning stages right now to be built in 2018 so, at the very minimum, we should see those hogs coming on stream by early 2019 or late 2018.
~ George Matheson, Manitoba Pork
Matheson notes the province’s pork sector is working with the Canadian Food inspection Agency to create a trusted trucker program under which swine transport vehicles returning from the United States would be washed, disinfected and dried at certified truck wash facilities in Canada.
