Thousands of pigs died after barns lost power during a severe April storm near Kola, Manitoba.
Manitoba-based hog production company HyLife said backup generators and phone notification systems failed in a CBC News article.
Extremely challenging weather conditions resulted in highway closures, travel advisories and dangerous driving conditions, explained Dave Penner, chief operating officer of farms for HyLife. Because of this, employees were not able to access one of the farm's sites.
Spring Storm Causes Major Outages
On April 24, the powerful spring storm hit southern parts of the province with rain and snow, causing flooding and power outages.
Manitoba Hydro reported numerous outages that day, including in the Virden, Man., area, which is about 30 kilometers from Kola, the article said. The power company said nearly 5,000 customers in that region were affected, from around 10 p.m Sunday until about noon the following day.
An Unusual Problem
Cam Dahl, general manager with Manitoba Pork, the province's industry association, told CBC News that Manitoba hog producers follow national guidelines for handling pigs and are required to have plans in place for emergencies — including backup systems to ensure ventilation, temperature regulation and feeding and watering continue.
Both the primary power source and the backup power source failed, Dahl explained, which is very unusual.
"When something unfortunate like this happens, it is taken seriously by not only producers' representatives like us, but by individual producers," Dahl told CBC News.
Both HyLife and Manitoba Pork said practices would be reviewed.
