Both Manitoba hog industry proponents and opponents say they don’t have a clue whether the provincial government still supports industry expansion.
But agriculture minister Rosann Wowchuk said the recent moratorium on hog barn applications and problems with the OlyWest project do not affect the government’s long-term support of industry expansion.
“Nothing has changed,” said Wowchuk.”We’ve had growth. We want to review it and then move forward from there.
“There has been tremendous growth, so we are going to pause and look at whether our regulations are working, whether our phosphorus regulations are working, and once we have that reviewed, there will be the opportunity for further growth in this province,” said Wowchuk.
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Industry proponents reacted with shock when the Manitoba government singled out the hog industry for a development pause recently. They saw the move as an implicit accusation that the hog industry is the source of Lake Winnipeg’s water quality problems, something the industry denies.
Opponents of the industry cheered the moratorium, but say they haven’t heard the province commit to a permanent clamping down on industry growth.
Wowchuk said the process, which will have the arms-length Clean Environment Commission study the industry’s expansion and its effect on water and soil quality, is fair to the industry and to public concerns.
“I have a lot of confidence because I think that we have been doing the right thing with the way the industry has been growing in this province. But because there is so much concern about it, it’s right for the Clean Environment Commission to review it and give a decision once and for all as to whether what we are doing will sustain our soil and water,” said Wowchuk.
