The president of Keystone Agricultural Producers says some
hog farmers are shutting down because the markets are so bad.
Doug Chorney said weaners are “essentially worthless” in
today’s market so his neighbour is sending all his hogs to market and by
November his barn will be empty.
He said he expects other hog farmers will do the same thing
because they simply can’t pay the bills.
Chorney was asked by reporters to comment after Manitoba’s
chief veterinary officer ordered 1,300 weaners euthanized at a farm where they
were discovered abandoned and in dire straits.
`The last
thing farmers want to see is their livestock suffer, but it takes a real toll
on the farmers to try to deal with this and sometimes people do things that
they would never normally see themselves do,'' Chorney said.
``I can't
emphasize enough the dire situation these farmers are in,'' he continued. ``The
whole industry could be lost and it's a big driver of our province.''
