Producers talking with government 
about alternatives to anaerobic digesters
Manitoba’s agriculture minister says the government is working with the hog industry to resolve a manure management impasse because the province needs new hog barns and more pigs.
“We definitely have some appetite to explore options and ideas. That’s why we’re talking to Manitoba Pork at this point in time,” Ron Kostyshyn told reporters during Ag Days in Brandon.
“An alternative solution to the anaerobic (digester) is being discussed and continues to be discussed with other departments.”
The Manitoba Pork Council and the government have been quarreling over manure rules since 2011, when the province passed the Save Lake Winnipeg Act. The legislation required new hog barns to have an anaerobic digester, or equivalent technology, to treat the phosphorus in hog manure.
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Manitoba hog producers have said the regulations are too costly because an anaerobic digester for a small pig barn may cost $1 million.
Manitoba Pork proposed a cheaper alternative: building additional earthen storage structures, commonly known as lagoons, to separate the liquid and solid manure.
The province rejected the proposal last summer and rebuffed an idea to inject all pig manure into the soil.
Hog producers and many manure management experts are baffled by the government’s insistence on anaerobic digesters.
A number of scientists have said anaerobic digesters can be used to generate electricity and heat, but the process doesn’t remove phosphorus from pig manure.
Don Flaten, a University of Manitoba soil scientist and nutrient management expert, said he’s not involved in the ongoing discussions between the hog industry and the provincial government. Flaten has criticized the government for its obsession with the hog industry, considering that a range of sources and activities contribute nutrients to Lake Winnipeg.
He did provide input last year, when the province was considering alternatives to anaerobic digesters.
“We were able to share our technical information and opinions with the government and the industry at that time,” he said.
“There was a proposal that circulated last year … for allowing expansion of hog barns in the province with a very comprehensive approach to nutrient management. (It) wasn’t focused only on anaerobic digesters, which do nothing for the phosphorus issue.”
Manitoba Pork’s proposal may remain a possible solution, but Kostyshyn didn’t reveal what options are on the table.
“We see the importance of hog operations to keep expanding…. We’ve got some aging barns,” he said.
“Ongoing discussions are continuing. We’ve had some recent meetings with Manitoba Pork … to find the mechanism that will make it attractive (to build new barns).”
Manitoba’s hog industry is counting on amendments to the act’s regulations because the province isn’t producing enough pigs to fully supply the Maple Leaf Foods processing plant in Brandon and the Hylife Foods plant in Neepawa. Last summer, the Brandon plant was slaughtering 65,000 to 70,000 pigs per week, 20,000 less than its maximum capacity.
Kostyshyn said changes might be coming soon.
“I would be awaiting some news in the near future … on our ongoing discussion with Manitoba Pork.”
The Western Producer contacted the pork council for this story, but didn’t receive a reply by press time Jan. 26.
robert.arnason@producer.com
