Manitoba’s agriculture minister says the province needs new hog barns to increase pig production. To achieve that goal, the government is working with the hog industry to resolve a manure management impasse.
“We definitely have some appetite to explore options and ideas. That’s why we’re talking to Manitoba Pork at this point in time,” said agriculture minister Ron Kostyshyn, during a media scrum at Ag Days in Brandon Jan. 20. “An alternative solution to the anaerobic (digester) is being discussed and continues to be discussed with other departments.”
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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 Act introduced a regulation where new hog barns must have an anaerobic digester, or equivalent technology, to treat the phosphorus in the hog manure.
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.
Manitoba Pork’s proposal may still be on the table, but Kostyshyn didn’t provide specifics.
“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 needs to boost hog production to fully supply 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.
Asked if the province will amend its manure management regulations in 2015, Kostyshyn said changes could be coming soon.
“I would be awaiting some news in the near future … on our ongoing discussion with Manitoba Pork.”
robert.arnason@producer.com
