Changes in hog farming are long overdue
By: Vicki Burns and Jessica Scott-Reid This article was published in the Winnipeg Free Press on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. When Manitobans dig into their Sunday pork roast, pepperoni pizza or ham sandwich, how many spare a thought for the animal farmed and slaughtered for their momentary meal? Likely very few, as there is […]
CITY NEWS: Animal Advocates Call to Stop Use of Gestation Stalls for Pigs in Manitoba Pork Industry
Ending the Cruel Confinement of Manitoba’s Hogs: A Call for Change In a recent CityNews interview, Vicki Burns of Hog Watch Manitoba, Colleen Walker of The Little Red Barn Sanctuary and Kaitlyn Mitchell of Animal Justice shed light on the ongoing struggle to free Manitoba’s hogs from the cruelty of gestation crates. Despite industry promises […]
The Dark Side of Factory Hog Farming: Animal Cruelty, and Toxic Waste Killing Lake Winnipeg
Manitoba’s industrial hog production model is built on practices that disregard animal welfare subjecting pigs to cruelty, a lack of concern for environmental sustainability, and indifference to human health threats. While these concerns may seem radical and unfounded, the facts are clear. Animal Welfare Pigs are raised in harsh, cramped conditions. They live on slatted […]
Connecting the Dots – Industrial Hog Production and Blue-Green Algae in Our Lake
Over 30 years ago, large factory style barns, used for raising pigs, started dotting the landscape across southern Manitoba. Not surprisingly, within just a few years, smelly and sometimes toxic blue-green algae blooms began to dominate Lake Winnipeg, and other southern Manitoba lakes. Was this just a coincidence? Not quite. In these factory […]
Curly and the Getaway Gang
Curly and the Getaway Gang by Bill Massey Every spring we buy weanling pigs. We usually bring them home in a wooden crate and confine them to their room in the barn for the first week or two. After that we open the door to the outside pen and they have the run of the […]
Court ruling could catalyze new wave of U.S. animal welfare laws
Court ruling could catalyze new wave of U.S. animal welfare laws The precedent could leave pork trade to navigate an eventual legislative patchwork. By David Favre Published: June 5, 2023 Manitobacooperator.ca Should California be able to require higher welfare standards for farm animals raised outside its borders if products from those animals are to be […]
More Hogs, More Problems
Letters: More hogs, more problems In response to the May 26 Co-operator article “Meat industry hits hard times” By John Fefchak Published: June 12, 2023 Manitobacooperator.ca Without the benefit of taxpayers’ dollars (read: government support), the Manitoba hog industry (not farming) would have collapsed many years ago. Born and raised on a farm, I appreciate […]
Planet in peril article
Planet In Peril Friday, June 23, 2023 Title: Manitobans deserve transparency, not unsubstantiated environmental claims from their pork sector Source: planetinperil.ca Hog Watch Manitoba, a non-profit, advocacy group, says it believes a recent claim by Manitoba Pork about how much water it is using, needs more proof. In a newspaper ad, the industry organization declares, […]
Pork should lead with values
Letters: Pork should lead with values By Ruth Pryzner Published: June 21, 2023 Source: manitobacooperator.ca In response to the May 2 Co-operator article, “Values lead on public trust”: As Amy te Plate-Church, presenter at the Manitoba Pork Council’s most recent annual meeting said, “lead with values” in the debate about industrial hog methods of raising […]
Growth of Manitoba pork industry not a source of pride
Growth of Manitoba Pork Industry Not a Source of Pride Quote from Vicki Burns, member of the Steering Committee For Hog Watch Manitoba: Vicki Burns, former CEO of the WHS, now with Hog Watch Manitoba, is not optimistic. “In the industrial hog factories that dominate the industry in Manitoba, the pigs are living on slatted […]