Hog moratorium lifted in all but 3 areas of Manitoba

A moratorium on the establishment or expansion of hog operations will continue in three regions of Manitoba, Conservation Minister Stan Struthers announced Monday in response to a Clean Environment Commission report on the industry.

The regions where no new hog plants will be allowed are southeastern Manitoba, the Red River Valley and the Interlake.

Southeastern Manitoba is classified as an "intensively developed area," provincial officials said, meaning it "does not have sufficient land base to allow for further sustainable spreading of livestock manure."

The Red River Valley Special Management Zonewhich comprises mostof the capital regionand Interlake areas are considered environmentally vulnerable, the former because it is a flood-prone region, and the latter because it borders the province's two largest lakes and includes other wetland and ecologically sensitive areas.

The moratorium on new and expanding hog operations, which has been in effect since the fall of 2006,will be lifted in the rest of the province, subject to new, more strict requirements as recommended by the CEC, Struthers said, including:

• Strengthening phase-in dates for regulatory phosphorus thresholds in the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation, so that all operators are in compliance by 2013.
• Extending a ban on winter spreading of manure under the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation to all operations by 2013.
• Ensuring that all new and expanding operations have sufficient land available at start-up to ensure that hog manure is spread in an environmentally sustainable manner.
• Monitoring existing phosphorus application provisions of manure and nutrient management regulations to ensure they are environmentally sustainable.

The Clean Environment Commission was asked to determine whether or not the production of hogs, as it has developed in Manitoba, is environmentally sustainable.

"If the hog production industry continues to grow, it will not remain environmentally sustainable unless significantresources are dedicated to addressing the many associated environmental issues," the report says.

Struthers said he accepted in principle the 48 recommendations included in the report, which was released Monday.

"The Clean Environment Commission provides us with clear direction that will help strengthen our plan to ensure we continue to protect our land and water," Struthers said Monday in a release.

A cross-departmental committee, chaired by Manitoba Conservation, will be responsible for implementing the CEC report's other recommendations, he said.

The report also contains a recommendation to come up with a contingency plan in case the U.S. border is ever closed to Canadian hogs.

It alsorecommends that a Watershed Studies Institute be established to co-ordinate and facilitate research into the many environmental issues that may impact on watersheds.

Amendments to the Environment Act will be tabled this spring to strengthen government's role in managing the industry in a sustainable manner, Struthers said.