Manitoba hog producers will meet with provincial officials this week to discuss a long-standing grievance: anaerobic digesters.
Last week, Manitoba agriculture minister Ron Kostyshyn said the government is willing to talk about provincial manure management regulations, which require new hog barns to have an anaerobic digester, or equivalent technology, to treat the phosphorus in pig manure.
Rick Bergmann, Canadian Pork Council chair and a farmer near Steinbach, Man., said producers and hog industry reps plan to meet provincial officials Friday.
“We take it very seriously when the minister of agriculture will make mention of something like this,” Bergmann said. “We’re encouraged by the announcement.”
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Manitoba hog farmers and the province have battled over manure management rules for several years. The government imposed strict regulations on new hog barns in 2011, as part of broader legislation to protect the water quality of Lake Winnipeg.
Manitoba hog producers have said the regulations are too severe and 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.
On Jan. 20, Kostyshyn said the government wants to explore alternatives to anaerobic digesters because Manitoba needs new hog barns.
“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).”
Bergmann said the hog industry is desperate for a compromise solution because Manitoba isn’t producing enough pigs to supply the Maple Leaf Foods processing plant in Brandon and the Hylife Foods plant in Neepawa.
“We’ve got packers that have invested heavily in our province…. When packers are far (below) capacity because of the ongoings of the last number of years, it’s our industry’s obligation to get things going.”
Bergmann said Manitoba farmers and companies are willing to invest in new barn, if the province backs away from its restrictive regulations.
Even if there’s a satisfactory resolution in a few months, barn construction won’t begin until 2016, Bergmann said.
“By the time permitting and so on is all (finalized), the year is pretty much done.”
Contact robert.arnason@producer.com
