Manitoba’s Hog Industry Sees Steady Growth

By Elmer Heinrichs

Manitoba hog producers face global trade uncertainties, disease prevention issues, increasing environmental concerns and sky-high input costs all of which are affecting producers’ margins but the Manitoba hog industry is seeing growth.

At the Manitoba Pork annual meeting recently, producers got updates on a lengthy list of regulatory issues that they need to attend to.

New sustainability regulations and protocols including the new Canadian Pork Excellence program may layer on additional administrative work for producers, however much of the industry agrees it is a good investment towards protecting the market that now represents about $1.7 billion to the provincial economy.

Even though, as Manitoba Pork chair, Rick Prejet said, “It’s not particularly profitable right now,” the number of animals produced annually in the province is up to about eight million, an increase of about 33 per cent over the last eight-to-10 years.

Cam Dahl, general manager of Manitoba Pork said the industry is paying much more attention to bio-security and health and sustainability issues than was the case 15 years ago.

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“That awareness to really keep sites secure and keeping your pigs healthy has really grown over time,” Dahl said. “But Manitoba producers are doing a good job.”

The additional precautions and investment means that the cost of new hog barns; there have been about 40 built in the last five years, can get up to about $15 million now.

“It’s gotten a lot more complicated since ‘Old McDonald’,” Dahl said.

Disease outbreaks are not critical these days but the local industry is at the tail end of PED (Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea) outbreak that started in 2021. Disease mitigation has been fairly successful.

While many countries in Asia and Africa have been dealing with African Swine Fever (ASF), measures have been in place including ramped up security at Canadian ports by the federal government, to ensure the disease stays out of the country.

“If ASF comes into Canada our borders will close completely,” said Prejet. “It would be a disaster. But we have taken good prevention measures in Canada.”

ASF’s presence is in many markets. ASF has also hit important international con-