Manitoba Pork GM Says 2021 Definitely An Interesting Year

Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl says 2021 was definitely an interesting year.

"There was a lot to deal with," he said. "Whether it was the impact of COVID, and of course some of that is ongoing. We're dealing with a PED outbreak at the end of the year. Feed costs as a result of the drought. It's been a really interesting year for farmers. That applies to farmers in all sectors in Manitoba. I think the word that I would use is uncertainty. Looking forward to 2022, that's probably the word that would be at the top of my list as well."

Dahl noted there are new barns going up across the province.

"There is continued growth. In 2021, we saw about a five per cent increase in production in pigs in Manitoba, that's a good sign."

He commented on the year ahead.

"Longer term, looking at responding to some of the public trust issues. We've just gone through a renewal of our strategic plan and it was a really good process to see where we need to focus on and some of the issues would be answering that public question of where does my food come from and how is it produced."

Dahl says they'll continue to monitor the African swine fever situation spreading across the globe.