Just over one year ago the province imposed a pause on the approval of permits for new or expanded hog operations and directed the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission to conduct a detailed evaluation of the environmental sustainability of hog production in Manitoba, determine whether current regulations will result in environmental sustainability and present recommendations to Conservation Minister Stan Struthers.

Clean Environment Commission Secretary Cathy Johnson explains the specific task is to provide recommendations on how the industry can be sustainable.

Cathy Johnson-Manitoba Clean Environment Commission

We conducted a series of public meetings last spring, 17 meetings in 14 locations in southern Manitoba where the producers and the public had a chance to provide the commission with their information.

In the ensuing months the commission has commissioned several expert reports which are available on our web site.

As well the panel has reviewed a great deal of literature on the subject matter and consulted with a variety of academics and experts and managers.

The minister should have his report by Christmas and shortly after that we would expect he would release it to the public.

At that point we would make it available to everyone.

Johnson notes any information received through the public meetings, including exhibits, a report compiled from personal interviews conducted by the commission's grad student and expert reports commissioned by the panel have been posted to the CEC web site at www.cecmanitoba.ca.

She adds says the final report will also be posted to the web site once it has been released.