Manitoba, federal governments announce pair of projects aimed at preventing potential pig problems

Manitoba and the federal government are working together to fund a pair of projectsintended to protect animal health and manage disease in the pork industry, the province said Wednesday afternoon.

The partnership between the provincial and federal governments will see $680,900 in funding under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership to support a project aimed at eradicating diseases spread by invasive pigs, and another focused on surveillance for diseases at high-traffic facilities, says Manitoba Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson.

"The targeted, risk-based surveillance of these projects allows for rapid disease detection resulting in a more effective response, which in turn reduces adverse effects to the overall health, welfare and trade aspects of the sector," he said at a news conference.

The hog sector is Manitoba'sthird-most important commodity at $1.1 billion, with 90 per cent of pork produced in Manitoba exported outside the province, according to anews release from the provincial and federal governments.

Manitoba led the country with over 8.2 million hog and pig sales in 2020.

"We know how important it is to help farmers reduce the risk of disease transmissions to keep their herds safe" and to ensure their businesses "remain internationally competitive," Liberal member of Parliament for Winnipeg SouthTerry Duguid said in the release.

Both projects are being undertaken as proactive efforts to help with any potential trade issues that may arise in the future, Johnson added.

The eradication project will help mitigate the spread of harmful diseases like African swine fever, which has made its way into Asian and European markets, the province says.

This project will seek out and euthanize invasive swine toprotect commercial herds, according to Wednesday's news release.

Johnson said the province is in the process of developing a draft strategy for managing invasive pigs, and is expected to ask for feedback from industry,interest groups and the public.

The province says the surveillance project is an extension of itsefforts to address the risk of porcine epidemic diarrhea.

The minister said it will provide more time to evaluate mitigation efforts taken by the hog sector that have reduced the occurence of the disease.

"Animal diseases, like PED virus and ASF, not only have a significant economic impact, but a lasting impact on the mental health of farmers," Manitoba Pork Council ChairRick Prjet said in the news release.

Reducing the spread of disease "is paramount to the long-term success of Manitoba's hog sector," he said.

Forage crop yields to be predicted in real time

Johnson also announced$253,600 in funding also through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which is a cost-shared,five-yearagreement between the federal and provincial governments to provide agricultural sector supportto develop a new usage-based insurance product.

"The forage and livestock sectors in Manitoba have been vulnerable in times of substantial forage shortages ...and traditional risk management and insurance methods used for other crops do not always work well for their specific needs," he said.

It's a two-year agreement between the province and Dairy Farmers of Manitoba, with Manitoba Beef Producers and four additional producer organizations also involved.

David Wiens, chair of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba, said the new insurance product will involve"leading-edge, artificial intelligence," including measuringand predicting forage crop yields in real time based on satellite, weather and geophysical data.

"We recognize there's a need for an insurance project specifically for forage that's more responsive to farmers' needs as a result of adverse weather like this [past] summer's drought," he said, adding that the program will not only benefit dairy farmers but all Manitoba forage producers.