WINNIPEG -- The Manitobe government is lifting its 16-month ban on new or expanded hog plants -- but only in some parts of the province.
The moratorium is continuing in the Red River Valley as far east as La Broquerie, as well as across the Interlake, because those areas are felt to have already reached peak production.
The decision follows a review by the arm's-length Clean Environment Commission.
Environmental groups accuse large-scale hog farms of being a major source of water pollution.
There are an estimated 8.8 million hogs in Manitoba -- more than double the number a decade ago.
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But hog farmers say they're being unfairly blamed, and point to municipal sewage and other sources of poor water quality.
