Now that Manitoba’s hog industry has shaken off its long, long sleep, farmers are being cautioned to move forward carefully.
It’s been a long time since new hog barns were built in the province, with producers facing development bans under the previous government, but lessons from past successes and failures need to be recalled.
“If you prepare ahead with your neighbours and with council, it makes a huge difference in terms of getting approvals,” Andrew Dickson, general manager of the Manitoba Pork Council, said at the organization’s annual meeting.
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“Showing up out of the blue … you’re starting from a negative position. It’s really important to do a lot of pre-work … before you start the very formal application process.”
Currently, 28 hog barn proposals are in the works, representing about 200,000 new pig places.
“There is activity going on out there and we’re pretty excited about it,” said Mike Teillet, director of sustainable development for MPC.
Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative government cleared away some of the regulatory barriers erected by the previous NDP government, but the process remains complicated and slow.
Dickson said producers with good local relations have a much better chance of getting the green light.
“Producers who have had a difficult relationship with their neighbours and the community over the years are probably going to have a difficult and a problematic experience,” said Dickson.
