Manitoba Pork holds 57th Annual General Meeting

Manitoba Pork held its 57th Annual General Meeting Wednesday in downtown Winnipeg.

General Manager Cam Dahl said it was encouraging to meet with producers in person once again.

"We talked a little bit about the strategic direction for Manitoba Pork," he said. "Things like public trust, how we engage with producers, and maybe some of those groups that we haven't talked with as much in the past, like the small producers but they have such an impact on biosecurity. How we're engaging with government, the things that we're doing to help ensure long term fiscal prosperity for the industry, things like access to capital and labour and some of the key issues facing producers today."

The meeting also featured presentations from Iowa Pork Producers Association and Minnesota Pork Producers Association.

"Many of the same issues are facing the U.S. producers," noted Dahl. "Some of those public trust issues with Proposition 12 in California for example or preparing for African swine fever. Labour is clearly an issue in agriculture across all of North America. We have a lot in common and maybe we should talking to each other a little bit more often."

Dr. Ryan Brook of the University of Saskatchewan also provided an update on the wild pig situation across the Prairies.

Dahl noted they had a good turnout at the meeting, which included guests from Ontario and Saskatchewan as well as the U.S.