Manitoba Pork is encouraging its members to show their support for the provincial government's "Red Tape Reduction and Government Efficiency Act" during public hearings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg.

Manitoba Pork Chair George Matheson says, despite suggestions to the contrary, changes proposed under Bill 24 are designed to reduce the level of paperwork and bureaucracy in the system and in no way will compromise farm safety or protections for the environment or for Lake Winnipeg.

George Matheson-Manitoba Pork

Lake Winnipeg's problem is no doubt something to be taken very seriously but all citizens have to do their fair share.

The water shed that drains into Lake Winnipeg is one of the largest in the world.

It runs right from the Rocky Mountains, it goes down into Minnesota and North Dakota, off into northwest Ontario so there's a lot of people who have to act responsibly, as does the hog industry to keep the phosphate level at a safe level in Lake Winnipeg.

We will continue to operate responsibly.

If anyone in our industry decides to go outside of the regulations we will have no sympathy for them what so ever and we will expect them to be hit hard by the full extent of the law, as we would any other citizen.

We will continue to operate under what other pork producers in other regions across the country, in the US say are the stiffest environmental regulations across North America for any pork producers.

Mr Matheson encourages anyone interested in telling the hearings their story of pork production and expressing support for the passage of Bill 24 to contact Manitoba Pork directly for assistance in doing so.