Saskatchewan developing new regulations to deal with Wild Boars

Mar 16, 2022

Premier Scott Moe making a key announcement this morning during the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities Annual Convention.

The Province is taking steps to proactively enhance and broaden the regulation, monitoring and control of wild boar and feral pigs.

The Ministry of Agriculture is developing regulations for licensing existing commercial wild boar farms and imposing a moratorium on any new farms.

Regulations for wild boar/feral pigs will also be developed under The Pest Control Act, which would specify the various monitoring and control efforts, as well as public obligations to report.

Annual funding for SCIC's Feral Wild Boar Control Program is being doubled to $200,000 for surveillance and eradication efforts in the province.

Feral pigs are invasive and represent a significant problem for agriculture producers, causing damage to hay and crop land, as well as harassing livestock and wildlife.

They also can carry livestock diseases such as African swine fever, which is a serious threat to the pork industry.

Agriculture Minister David Marit says these are substantial steps that improve risk management and protect the resilience and security of our agriculture industry.

"Increasing feral pig surveillance and eradication efforts, along with declaring them a regulated pest, are proactive measures to help ensure the health of both the agriculture industry and the natural environment in Saskatchewan."

SARM has been requesting the Province take stronger action when it comes to the wild boar issue and recently called for a collaborative, long-term solution .

All wild boar/feral pig sightings should be reported immediately by contacting a local SCIC office or calling 1-888-935-0000 (toll-free).

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Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.