Intense Livestock Operations (ILOs) — often disparagingly referred to as factory farms — feed the processing plants in Brandon and Neepawa on the backs of small, rural communities and rural families already struggling with demographic change and trying to live a normal way of life in an invasive and polluted environment.
It has taken several years for the Manitoba hog industry, the Manitoba Pork Council (MPC) and the Pallister conservative government to formulate a plan to their liking and bombard the province with even more hog factory barns.
According to A. Dickson, General Manager of MPC, another 50 to 70 more barns are needed to produce an additional 1.2 million finishing hogs per year to satisfy and benefit the two slaughter plants. Yet, MPC’s Cost of Production Summary for 2019 indicates a $10.62 net loss per hog.
In this one case alone, why is the public purse (taxpayers) subsidizing $13,275,000 for hog processing plants? Why is nobody talking about this? Is the Manitoba Auditor General not aware of this?
John Fefchak
