Manitoba Pork AGM Highlights Biosecurity Success – Winnipeg Free Press

Provincial pork producers have come a long way since the decade-long hog moratorium that ended in 2017.

Concerns about sewage runoff into Lake Winnipeg and manure management and animal rights activists advocating for livestock processing have led to stricter focus on sustainability, biosecurity, and animal-handling regulations.

Another milestone was announced at the Manitoba Pig Annual General Meeting on Thursday: the end of the 2021-22 Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) outbreak.

It's an environmental virus, so there's always a risk, but Manitoba Swine General Manager Cam Dahl said, “There are no active cases today, which is really positive.”

Manufacturers have plenty of tools and support to deal with any resurgence; overall, they're more vigilant than before and the industry is more organized about recovery, Dahl said.

“Biosecurity is what we're forcing farmers to do all the time,” he said. “It (fighting the virus) has really been a collaborative approach. It makes it a lot easier.”

Producers have tackled the problem so well that organizations in Canada and the U.S. invited Manitoba Pork Director Jenelle Hamblin to talk about the strategy.

At the same time, the industry has moved to a reliable state, the volume of production is quite stable from year to year. The province raises about eight million cattle annually from more than 600 farms, which is about 30 percent of the national output.

Of these eight million head, about three million are sent to the United States (mainly Iowa) for finishing.

This part of Manitoba production has been thrown into uncertainty by the new round of US country of origin labeling regulations.

Beginning January 1, 2026, the “Product of the USA” or “Made in the USA” labels may only be used on meat, poultry, and egg products from animals born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the United States.

Dahl said even though this is a final rule, Canada and provincial governments still have 20 months to back down.

“We still need governments to send a message to stop it and maintain an integrated market that benefits producers and consumers,” he said. “Because if we interrupt the trade flow, it will increase the price of pork for consumers. “Food inflation is a real problem.”

Not surprisingly, this issue is not as worrisome in the United States as it is in Canada, especially in Manitoba, where hog production is more integrated with the American market than anywhere else in the country.

Matt Gent, board president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, was at the Manitoba Pork Annual Meeting in Winnipeg.

“Put it that way,” Gent said. “I'm talking about it more today than I have in Iowa since the rules were first announced.”

Iowa brings to market about 24 million hogs a year, about three million of which come from Manitoba and are exported as sows.

“It's something we're not pushing,” Gent said of the new labeling rules. “We like the relationship between Iowa and Manitoba.”

He said Iowa producers may have to give up buying a lot of breast milk from Manitoba “or there may be another way around it.”

Aside from government pressure, Dahl likes the idea of ​​offering retailers an alternative to country-specific brands.

“I'm thinking something along the lines of “Product of North America'' labels,” he said. “This will maintain an integrated market and address consumer concerns about where food comes from.”

While such a move would allow the current supply chain to remain in place, it is not clear how large a market such labeling could capture. Although the use of the “Product of the USA'' label is voluntary, most large grocery stores in the US only display it.'

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Martin Cash
Reporter

Martin Cash has written columns and business news for the Free Press since 1989. Over the years, he has chronicled a number of business cycles and the successes and failures (and booms) of many local businesses.

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