Manitoba Clean Environment Commission 305-155 Carlton Street Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3H8 Fax: 204-945-0090 Telephone: 204-945-0594 www.cecmanitoba.ca 305 – 155 Carlton Street Winnipeg, MB R3C 3H8 Ph: 204-945-7091 Toll Free: 1-800-597-3556 December 18, 2007 Fax: 204-945-0090 www.cecmanitoba.ca Honourable Stan Struthers Minister of Conservation Room 330 Legislative Building 450 Broadway Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0V8 Dear Minister Struthers: Re: Hog Production Industry Review The Panel is pleased to submit the Clean Environment Commission’s report on the review of the environmental sustainability of the hog production industry in Manitoba. Sincerely, Terry Sargeant, Chair Wayne Motheral Edwin Yee Manitoba Clean Environment Commission Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................ v Executive summary ....................................................................................... ix Résumé ....................................................................................................... xiii 1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Mandate and terms of reference .................................................................. 1 1.2 The investigation ...................................................................................... 2 1.3 The Report ............................................................................................... 2 2 Environmental sustainability and the hog-production industry .................... 3 2.1 Environmental sustainability ...................................................................... 3 2.2 Agriculture, livestock production, and sustainable development ...................... 5 2.3 Agriculture and the environment ................................................................ 7 3 Agriculture and the Manitoba economy ........................................................ 9 3.1 Farm population trends .............................................................................. 9 3.2 Structure of farms ....................................................................................10 3.3 Farms and farm investment .......................................................................10 3.4 Farm income ............................................................................................10 3.5 Agriculture’s significance to provincial economy ..........................................13 4 Evolution of the North American hog-production industry ......................... 15 4.1 The hog-production revolution in North America..........................................15 4.2 The three-site model and all-in, all-out production ......................................17 4.3 The impact on Canada ...............................................................................18 4.3.1 Export industry ..................................................................................18 4.3.2 Growth factors ....................................................................................19 4.4 Social conflict and environmental concerns .................................................19 4.5 The expansion of the Manitoba industry .....................................................20 4.5.1 Hutterite colonies and Manitoba hog production .....................................20 4.5.2 The Manitoba expansion ......................................................................20 5 Current state of Manitoba hog industry ...................................................... 25 5.1 Decline in number of hog operations ..........................................................26 5.2 Concentration of production ......................................................................26 5.3 Structure of the Manitoba industry .............................................................26 5.3.1 Hog farms with field crops ..................................................................28 5.4 Slaughter ................................................................................................28 5.5 Export ....................................................................................................32 5.6 Impact on Manitoba economy ....................................................................33 5.6.1 Feed ..................................................................................................34 i Manitoba Clean Environment Commission 5.7 Issues facing the industry .........................................................................34 5.7.1 Feed costs ..........................................................................................34 5.7.2 Labour ...............................................................................................35 5.7.3 Slaughter capacity and price ................................................................35 5.7.4 An appreciating Canadian dollar ...........................................................35 5.7.5 Access to export markets .....................................................................35 6 Barriers to sustainability ........................................................................... 37 6.1 Water .....................................................................................................38 6.1.1 Water quantity ...................................................................................38 6.1.2 Water quality ......................................................................................38 6.2 Air .........................................................................................................41 6.2.1 Climate change ..................................................................................41 6.2.3 Odour ................................................................................................41 6.3 Land .......................................................................................................42 6.3.1 Changes in land use ............................................................................42 6.4 Flora and fauna ........................................................................................42 6.4.1 Biological diversity ..............................................................................42 6.4.2 Health ...............................................................................................42 7 The growth of the regulation of the hog industry in Manitoba .................... 45 7.1 Environmental regulations.........................................................................47 7.1.1 Regulation of the hog industry in the 1960s and 1970s ...........................47 7.1.2 The 1990s and the expansion of the Manitoba hog industry .....................48 Box 7.1 Manure management plans ..................................................................51 7.1.3 Regulating the hog-production industry in the 21st century .....................52 7.2 Land-use decision-making .........................................................................57 7.2.1 The Planning Act .................................................................................58 7.2.2 The Planning Act amendments: 2000 ......................................................58 7.2.3 The Planning Act: 2006 ........................................................................59 7.3 The role of Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives ..........................61 Box 7.2 Environmental Farm Plan Program ........................................................62 7.3.1 The Agri-Environment Knowledge Centre ...............................................62 7.3.2 Covering New Ground (The Agricultural Sustainability Initiative) ..............63 Box 7.3 Environmental goods and services ........................................................63 7.4 Controlling nutrients ................................................................................64 Box 7.4 Other jurisdictions .............................................................................67 8 Public Input .............................................................................................. 71 8.1 Nutrient management ...............................................................................72 8.2 Manure management.................................................................................73 8.3 Land-use planning and approval .................................................................74 8.4 Groundwater quality .................................................................................75 8.5 Groundwater supply..................................................................................75 8.6 Surface water quality ................................................................................76 8.7 Soil quality ..............................................................................................76 ii Environmental Sustainability and Hog Production in Manitoba 8.8 Odour .....................................................................................................76 8.9 Disease transmission .................................................................................77 8.10 Climate change .......................................................................................77 8.11 Environmental liability ............................................................................78 8.12 Other jurisdictions .................................................................................78