Manitoba pork, canola producers hold steady amid heavy tariffs

A slab of back bacon from Natural Raised Pork comes with a waitlist.

Ian Smith points to tariffs. Since the United States placed levies on imports from Canada, Manitobans have increasingly been calling Smith about his farm near Argyle, some 40 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

“There’s more people wanting to support local and I’m one of few people that do what I’m doing,” said Smith, 62.

He estimates 90 per cent of his pork products are bought by Manitoba households; the latter goes to a packing plant. Last year, it was a 50-50 split.

Smith works alone, hustling to meet the four-to-six week waitlist that’s accumulated. He keeps hundreds of feeder pigs and a couple dozen sows; it’s a relatively small operation, he noted.

“If there’s any mistakes to be made, there’s only one person to blame and that’s me,” he said with a laugh.

Smith doesn’t export to China — so he’s shielded from that nation’s levies still hanging over the Canadian industry.