REGINA — Saskatchewan has placed a moratorium on new wild boar farms, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
It also requires all existing wild boar operations to be licensed and inspected by that time.
The move comes after the regulations developed under the New Animal Control Act take effect.
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The government had announced two years ago that the regulations were in the works.
Fifteen known wild boar farms currently operate in the province.
Livestock development director Kathryn Tonita said there could be other farms out there because, similar to cattle or sheep operations, they haven’t required a licence.
She said the province hopes this will help deal with the potential risk of boars escaping and becoming feral.
The fear is that a disease such as African swine fever could make its way to Canada and spread to domestic pig herds through the wild boar population.
Other changes included in the regulations range from milk composition standards to livestock inspection and transportation.
Stray animal policies have been updated to allow rural municipalities to recover costs when dealing with them.
More information on all the changes can be found on the ministry of agriculture’s website.
