The Chair of Manitoba Pork says pork producers are recognizing the importance of communicating with the public and is stepping up its efforts to engage with them.
George Matheson, the Chair of Manitoba Pork, says the public generally knows very little about the pork sector but has an interest in what goes on.
I would say number one, the public wants to know that their food is safe to consume. They also want to make sure that the environment that we work in is kept safe, be it air or water or soil. They want to make sure that our animals are cared for and well taken care of.
It’s important that Manitoba Pork Council is involved in educating the public so that they do in fact get the correct knowledge. Definitely always have to advise the public that our product is absolutely safe. They’re following Canadian Food Inspection Agency guidelines, that we are very much regulated in regards to hw we operate and how the manure is spread on the fields.
We do take the environment very seriously and that it is protected for generations to come and that our animals are very well taken care of. We do have to follow the national animal code of practice. These are the things that we do and pay close attention to and these are the things that have to be communicated to the public.
~ George Matheson, Manitoba Pork
Matheson says educating the public has always been a priority but the organization is putting a little higher emphasis on it right now because regulations have changed which will once again allow producers to build barns so the intent is to keep the public informed of what is being done and why.
