Hog producers await province's verdict on industry's future

Hog producers are anxiously waiting to hear the provincial government's reaction to a Clean Environment Commission report on the sustainability of the industry.

The CECsubmitted a long-awaited report on the issue to Manitoba Conservation on Wednesday.

Conservation Minister Stan Struthers will study the report over the next few weeks, and has promised to make the report and the government's response to it public by the end of the month.

He extended a moratorium on new hog barns and expansions, which has been in effect since November 2006, until that time.

Karl Kynoch, chair of the Manitoba Pork Council, said the moratorium, combined with the high Canadian dollar, high feed costs and low meat prices, are adding up to a tough time for producers.

"I've had a lot of producers calling me who are going through a struggle right now. They would like to maybe remodel their operation to try to adjust to the new circumstances that we are dealing with," he said.

"These producers have no idea what they should be doing, or whether to spend money on a barn or not, because they don't know if what they do will meet anything that gets changed due to the CEC report coming out."

The provincial government asked the CEC to review the environmental-protection measures now in place related to hog production in Manitoba to determine their effectiveness in managing the industry in an environmentally sustainable manner.