Expansion of the hog industry is tearing rural Manitoba apart, say
concerned residents.
The situation is becoming so controversial that both hog barn
developers and opponents want the provincial government to lay out
clear rules. One side wants the province to take over hog barn
construction approvals, while the other wants the province to cast in
stone the municipal role in judging the environmental and social safety
of intensive livestock operations.
Rosann Wowchuk, Manitoba’s agriculture minister, said it is a problem
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“What’s happening right now is not good for agriculture,” she told
members of the Manitoba Pork Council at their annual meeting April 3.
But she’s vague on the details, saying new legislation is still being
worked out, leaving hog barn opponents and proponents fearing the worst.
“It’s imperative that you act on this very fast before all of Manitoba
has banning districts,” said hog barn developer Garry Tolton. The term
“banning districts” is used by hog barn promoters to describe
municipalities that have recently placed moratoriums on construction of
new livestock operations.
Marcel Hacault said province-wide legislation allowing hog barn
construction must be enacted before fall municipal elections “before
we’re left with all of Manitoba having banning districts and before
Manitoba disappears off the agricultural map and before Manitoba has to
go cap in hand to the federal government because all the grain farmers
don’t have any place to sell their grain.”
On the anti-hog barn side, Fred Tait of Hogwatch Manitoba also wants
the government to clearly spell out rules for hog barn approvals.
But he wants the province to state that it will not usurp the role of
local governments in judging intensive livestock operations. That will
allow rural people to be confident they will not be overruled if they
block livestock operations.
Ed Tyrchniewicz, the head of the livestock stewardship panel, said the
mess must be sorted out soon.
“I’m very concerned about what’s happening in rural areas, with the
banning of livestock and the uncertainty that this is generating within
rural areas, municipalities and amongst investors,” said Tyrchniewicz.
“I see significant growth in the hog industry in Alberta, quite likely
in Saskatchewan, and (in Manitoba) we may be entering a phase where hog
production may level off and move down if there isn’t some clear
direction from the Manitoba government.”
The livestock stewardship panel report made a set of recommendations
about how to address the environmental, social and economic impacts of
expanding livestock production. Among other things, Tyrchniewicz’s
report recommended that municipalities be required to make land-use
plans that would make clear where agricultural operations could be
located.
Wowchuk wouldn’t spell out how her government will resolve the issue,
but said all necessary legislative changes will be made in the upcoming
legislative session that begins April 22.
However, Wowchuk did say the provincial government won’t completely
remove municipal governments from the approval process as Alberta did.
And it won’t allow municipalities to pass blanket prohibitions on new
livestock operations.
