At Keystone Agricultural Producers' (KAP) recent annual meeting, Manitoba Pork Directors Margaret Rempel and Lyle Peters were successful in getting the following resolution passed: KAP will lobby the Government of Manitoba to direct resources that will identify and eradicate wild boar populations because these animals have the potential to spread African swine fever to Manitoba’s swine herds.

Manitoba Pork reports that there have been many sightings of wild pigs reported in Manitoba over the last decade, and we suspect the population is growing. Wild pigs are an invasive species that can ruin wildlife habitat, put native wildlife species at risk, damage cropland and pose a significant disease risk to farm-raised pigs. However, a total population estimate and accurate location information is not available.

To get a better understanding of the wild pig population in Manitoba, and to concentrate eradication efforts in the right areas, Manitoba Pork strongly encourages producers and the general public to report all sightings of wild pigs to the Manitoba Sustainable Development office.

When reporting, the public is asked to include:

• Date and time of day the pigs were observed.
• Legal land description, geo-coordinates, or other specific description of the location.
• Number and age class of pigs (ie, number of adults and number of piglets, if applicable).
• Observed behaviour of the pigs (ie, are they causing any habitat/property damage or displaying aggressive behaviour toward people or domestic animals?).

Conventional hunting has been shown to increase wild pig populations by encouraging them to spread out and breed further. Manitoba Pork discourages the conventional hunting of wild pigs; we support a collaborative and coordinated eradication approach. If harvesting a wild pig, it is a legal requirement to report it to the local Sustainable Development office within seven days.