Making hog barns an election issue

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This article was published 06/09/2019 (1839 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The issue of hog barn production has been been far from the forefront of this provincial election.

The relative silence has left some questioning what restrictions the industry might face in the future.

There seems to be a lack of strategy in addressing and talking about hog barns among the province’s political parties, Hog Watch member Ruth Pryzner said.

Hog Watch is an agricultural watchdog group that monitors the province’s hog industry.

Pryzner said that Hog Watch wants to see a discussion about the industry’s environmental impacts.

As part of this, the group would like to see a moratorium placed on the construction of hog barns, but Pryzner said this scenario is unlikely.

“The (Progressive) Conservatives are certainly not going to put a moratorium on — they took it off,” Pryzner said.

Hog Watch is hoping for a progressive government that embraces a green economy that serves the needs of all the people within the limits that nature provides.

Turtle Mountain Green party candidate David Neufeld said he has had almost 20 years of experience dealing with hog barns and their potential impact on neighbours and the environment.

He said that there was a hog barn that wanted to set up camp west of Boissevain approximately 15 years ago, which he said was met by community concern about the impact it would have on those in the surrounding area and their quality of life.

The barn’s advocates kept trying to find locations but failed to find success.

Killarney is currently home to several barns, he said asserting that they did not face the same resistance they did in Boissevain.

An ongoing problem is in the foreign ownership of certain hog operations, he said, adding: “They couldn’t care less about our quality of life.”

Steps should be taken by the province to mandate that manure is composted and not allowed to be put in a slurry, Neufeld said. This could create more jobs and render it more useful without the smell.

“I don’t hear enough discussion about that, because that would solve a lot of the problems.”

Further, Neufeld said that he does not want to see an increase in industrialized animal facilities, and instead have incentives put in place to help small- and mid-sized farms grow. This step could boost the economy of the province while creating more jobs.

Turtle Mountain Progressive Conservative candidate Doyle Piwniuk said that hog barns have rarely come up when speaking with constituents.

The practices of the hog industry have changed over the years, he said, which has largely addressed some of the issues surrounding the barns.

“They’re regulated so heavily nowadays,” he said. “They’re probably more regulated than any other agricultural industry.”

A pivotal aspect of the industry is that it can help grow populations in the region. Piwniuk highlighted a recent meeting he had with the Turtle-Mountain school board where he learned that the school population is growing as a direct result of growth in the hog industry.

“There are people who have concerns. It’s about education, it’s about awareness and working and understanding what the practices are,” Piwniuk said, citing the fact manure can be used as sustainable fertilizer for fields as an example.

Turtle Mountain Liberal candidate Richard Davies declined comment on any potential changes to hog barn regulations in the province, referring The Sun to Lac du Bonnet Liberal candidate Terry Hayward.

“I’m hearing concerns from non-hog barn owners about the manure situation,” Haward said, adding that they have expressed concerns about leakage into waterways concerns with fly control.

A balance can be struck to ensure all the right research has been applied, he said — especially in regards to manure management, to ensure a happy medium is created between Manitobans and hog producers.

Hayward said that he does not want to see a moratorium on the construction of hog barns brought back into the province, as it’s pivotal to Manitoba’s economy.

“I think anyone who has a good hog barn plan should be able to build it, taking into consideration the local environment, their neighbours, their own business plan,” Hayward said.

Turtle Mountain NDP candidate Angie Herrera-Hildebrand could not be reached for comment by press time.

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