Report from The Auditor General of Manitoba

The Office of the Auditor General is an independent office of the Legislative Assembly, established under The Auditor General Act. The Auditor General plays an important role on behalf of the citizens of Manitoba in the process by which the Legislature holds the government of the day accountable for its actions.

Summary of the Audit of the Department of Conservation’s Management of the Environmental Livestock Program (October 2007)

• over 500 manure storage facilities (almost all factory hog farms) without any provincial regulatory oversight or involvement.
• 300 operations that were required, by law, to submit manure management plans may not have done so.
• Manitoba Conservation information was not analyzed with a view to protect surface and groundwater from contamination.
• deficiencies found in environmental livestock program information system

Manure Management and Mortalities Regulation

The Auditor General found several processes that require attention:

• issuing permits for construction, modification and expansion of manure storage facilities;
• monitoring of construction of manure storage facilities;
• post construction monitoring;
• identification, assessment and approval of non-permitted manure storage facilities;
• monitoring of manure application to land; and
• utilization of the Department's information system.

The Office of the Auditor General issued 45 recommendations in total.