2024 Annual Report

On the economic front, 2024 was a year of relief, with margins coming back to where they should be. On the cost side, feed prices have come down, while hog and isowean prices have gone up. I do see the positive financial situation extending well into 2025. It is good to finally see profitability back in the industry again.

If there is such a thing as a good disease year, 2024 was it. Given historical patterns, we expected to see new cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) this spring. That did not materialize. While we did not make it through 2024 PED free, the first case did not show up until December. The control of PED, and other viral diseases, is due to the strong attention paid to biosecurity by Manitoba’s hog farmers. It is not just about having a biosecurity plan, but ensuring that all staff, contractors, and visitors adhere to the plan.

When the last PED outbreak occurred, Manitoba Pork called together a PED Working Group which was mandated to develop a comprehensive plan to control and eradicate the disease. The PED Working Group included independent farmers, integrated producers, Manitoba’s swine veterinarian community, and Manitoba Agriculture. The Working Group is an example of effective collaboration throughout the value chain. The comprehensive plan that was published is being considered as an elimination model throughout North America.

The saying goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That applies to African Swine Fever (ASF). An ASF outbreak would be devastating, but if we plan now, we can shorten the amount of time our borders are closed to trade. That is critical in Manitoba, where 90% of the eight million pigs we raise each year are exported, either as pork packages around the world or as live animals to the U.S. Here again, collaboration is the key. Manitoba Pork and Manitoba Agriculture have collaborated to develop an emergency management plan that we will follow in the event of an outbreak. The plan integrates the operational response of farmers, industry, and the provincial government. I am proud of the work that the team has done in the development of this integrated model. Manitoba Pork will continue to play a leading role in planning for ASF, collaborating with our national organizations, our provincial counterparts, and federal and provincial governments.

There has been a lot of discussion on group sow housing since 2014 when the requirement for group sow housing or periodic exercise was first written into the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs. The deadline to convert to group sow housing is July 1^st, 2029. While there have been extensions to the deadline in the past, the 2029 date is firm. As of that date, operations that do not use some form of group sow housing will not fulfill the requirements of the Code of Practice, will not be eligible to deliver animals to federally inspected processing plants, and will not be complying with Manitoba’s Animal Care Act. This past year, Manitoba Pork facilitated an exchange session between farmers who have converted to group sow housing and those who are examining their options for conversion. The farmer-to-farmer discussions were informative. Manitoba Pork has also developed fact sheets on conversion options that are available through our office or on our website.

One cannot look ahead to 2025 without mentioning the new Administration in the United States. Protectionism has been on the rise in the U.S., for some time, with new country of origin labelling laws and California’s Proposition 12 as two examples. Unfortunately, I don’t see Canada being prepared to respond. “America First” was brought into sharper focus after the November election in the U.S. when President Trump called for massive tariffs on Canadian and Mexican exports. In the past, he has threatened to rip up the Canada – U.S. – Mexico Agreement (CUSMA, the former NAFTA). Not since the original Canada – U.S. trade agreement have we seen political goals tied to U.S. market access. For example, increased defense spending by Canada is likely going to be a condition of ongoing American support for CUSMA. Agriculture, particularly dairy, is going to be a target for U.S. negotiators. How is Canada going to respond? Manitoba Pork is pushing for a comprehensive strategic plan for agriculture and food trade. The Government of Canada has a responsibility to call together farmers, processors, and provincial governments to develop a strategic response to U.S. policymakers who are calling for trade limits.

Manitoba Pork continues to invest in sharing the story of modern Manitoba hog farmers with the public as well as political leaders. The “Good for ME, Good for MB” campaign delivers the message about the pork industry’s contribution to Manitoba’s economy, our strong environmental record, our responsible animal care practices, and how we are building communities across the province. These messages are delivered by real people involved in the industry, including farmers, veterinarians, municipal leaders, and environmental managers. I encourage individual farmers to get involved in these efforts through the Pork Proud campaign, which was launched in 2023 and will grow further in 2025, and help share the good news story our sector and agriculture has to share with the public. New and visually appealing ways of sharing our story with the public and the government, like our new website, this digital annual report, and our Report to the Legislature and our Report to Parliament are important tools that help shine a light on our industry in new and exciting ways.

As we enter a challenging trade and political environment in 2025, I am enthused by the positive outlook our producers and sector stakeholders continue to have about our industry. We continue to work together collaboratively across our sector to continue to grow our impact on Manitoba and ensure that we can feed a strong demand for high-quality, affordable, and nutritious pork.

2024 was a welcome change from some of the challenges we have faced as a sector in previous years. We saw profit margins increase, disease threats minimized with only one new case of PED, and Manitoba Pork continue to lead the way across our province and country on key issues that matter to our producers and sector.

Collaboration is a key theme that drives through our strategic plan. This is something that drives our work. A great example is the work we are doing on animal disease, and preparations for outbreaks. That includes work on African Swine Fever preparedness, where Manitoba Pork is playing a leadership role across the country in planning for a potential ASF outbreak. Work being done by our team, in collaboration with Manitoba Agriculture and Animal Health Canada.

This collaboration is also evident in the work we are doing on PED, where we are working closely with the staff of Manitoba’s Chief Veterinarian’s Office and industry stakeholders. It is through that collaboration we developed a plan to eradicate PED in Manitoba, which is a plan that is being recognized, and potentially emulated both nationally and internationally. Other jurisdictions are keenly interested in our plans and have sought to emulate them where possible.

Outreach and extension are other key pieces of our work. That includes both outreach to our producers and our sector, but also to folks in government, both municipal and provincial. We recognize the importance of outreach to our members. Outreach and direct communications to our producers this year has included a group sow housing forum, as well as a biweekly podcast that focuses on issues in our sector that transfer back to the work being done on-farm.

Manitoba Pork continues to engage with all levels of government, including outreach to municipalities, and expanded outreach to the provincial government. We have built an open communication channel with the government on a variety of policy fronts, and we have found Premier Kinew and his team to be transparent and engaging. Our Report to the Legislature has been a great tool in showcasing our industry to elected officials and their staff.

Manitoba Pork has also been heavily involved with the Canadian Pork Council (CPC), working closely with Stephen Heckbert and his team. Scott Peters stepped away from his role on the board near the end of 2024, and we thank him for his willingness to represent our producers in this way. I am now serving on the board of CPC, along with Jonathan Sawatzky. An important part of this work will be the update to the Code of Practice, and we are committed to communicating with our producers and setting up engagement sessions as we proceed through this process.

I would like to thank Cam and the staff at Manitoba Pork for their great work and leadership that is recognized on a national level. I would also like to thank the district advisors who play a huge role in guiding the board and staff on what is important to the industry. Finally, thank you to the board of directors, and I continue to be thankful for their continued leadership and willingness to represent our sector in this way.

Manitoba Pork’s activities in 2025 will be focused on protecting the ability of our producers to farm and protecting our sector’s ability to trade. Protecting our ability to farm includes an increased focus on government relations across our province, sharing our story with the public as well as policymakers, earning the public license to operate. Protecting our ability to trade includes the threat of tariffs and trade barriers from the United States and other jurisdictions, disease planning work focused on keeping the border open and protecting our sector from the harms of diseases like ASF and PED.

It is vital to our work that we continue to hear from producers and sector stakeholders. Our board, district advisors, and staff are ready and willing to hear your concerns and work collaboratively with you to ensure that our sector remains on a path of continued viability and profitability.