Pork producer Olysky is reviewing security procedures after several pigs were stolen from a nursery barn near Lintlaw, Sask.
Casey Smit, vice-president of swine production for parent company Olymel in Western Canada, said the exact number of pigs taken was probably 16 and not the 23 reported by RCMP. But he said the number isn’t the issue.
“It’s not the financial loss, it’s the fact that they broke into the facility that’s of great concern,” he said.
The 23 pure white pigs were taken sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. Aug. 26.
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The nursery barns typically have between 600 and 700 pigs in a room. Smit said there were eight rooms in this particular facility.
“I think the risk is minimal in terms of something being brought into the facility,” he said. “Having said that, all our facilities from a biosecurity perspective are shower-in, so somebody going around that could expose us to something.”
The industry has been focused on preventing the PED virus after several positive cases in Canada.
The pigs were about 20 kilograms in size and about 4.5 months away from finished weight.
Smit wouldn’t speculate on who broke in or how many people would have been involved to take that many animals. He also didn’t want to say how the thieves entered the barn or what measures the company is taking to prevent future incidents.
“We hope that our facilities are secure enough and obviously now we’ve got a breach that we’ve got to take a look at and see what we can do to prevent that in the future.”
The barn, one of the former Big Sky Farms facilities, has been in that location for about 16 years.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Rose Valley/Kelvington RCMP detachment at 306-322-2550 or call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
