The General Manager of Manitoba Pork says legislation recently passed in Manitoba is all about protecting farm animals from the potential introduction of disease.
Manitoba’s pork producers are applauding the provincial government’s passage of Bill 62, the Animal Diseases Amendment Act and Bill 63, the Petty Trespasses Amendment and Occupiers’ Liability Amendment Act.
Cam Dahl, the General Manager of Manitoba Pork, notes in one year 10 million pigs died in China as the result of African Swine Fever and we’ve similar impacts in other regions resulting in significant increases in food prices.
We’ve all learned in the last two years, because of COVID 19, how important biosecurity is and that’s the same for animals. I think it might surprise some of your listeners to know that workers in a hog barn actually have to shower before they go into the barn to ensure that they’re not taking in any diseases or putting the lives of the animals at risk.
What the bill does is it helps ensure that we don’t have people coming onto farmyards or coming into barns and really putting animals at risk. It just strengthens the definition of what trespassing is, puts the emphasis on helping to ensure biosecurity, really acknowledges the work that has been done on farms to better protect animals and secure them from some of the risks of people from outside coming on and bringing on diseases.
~ Cam Dahl, Manitoba Pork
Dahl says, if we were to experience a foreign animal disease such as African Swine Fever in North America, you would see it directly reflected on your store shelves so, while this legislation is protecting farmers and their animals, it’s also protecting consumers.
