More than two weeks after a fire at a giant pig barn in Norfolk County killed thousands of pigs and caused millions of dollars in damage, the cleanup is still underway and some key questions remain unanswered.
WHO OWNS THE BARN?
The 4.5-acre hog barn on Highway 3 between Simcoe and Delhi — larger than three football fields and thought to be among the largest of its kind in the province — is owned by Mae-Mart Farms, a seventh-generation Waterford-based livestock and grain operation that operates several pig barns in Norfolk and once boasted of having the largest single-storey chicken barn in Canada, with room for 55,000 broiler chickens.
Reached by email, Mae-Mart Farms president Philip Wiedrick declined to be interviewed.
“At this point, we are focused on our family, our employees, and beginning the long process of recovery,” Wiedrick told The Spectator, directing all questions to Ontario Pork, the industry group representing the province's pork producers.
“The support our family has received from our community and the agricultural sector has meant a great deal during this incredibly difficult time,” Wiedrick added.
HOW MANY PIGS DIED?
That is still unclear, though the barn could hold more than 20,000 pigs and the death toll is thought to be in the thousands. Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (still commonly known by its former name, OMAFRA) deferred to Ontario Pork, but a spokesperson for the industry group declined to get into specifics about the loss of livestock.
“Our focus continues to be on supporting the family as they navigate the recovery process,” communications manager Julie Klack said in an email declining an interview request “out of respect for everyone affected and the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
DID ANY PIGS ESCAPE?
No pigs escaped as the wind whipped the flames through the sprawling structure on the morning of July 14, bringing 50 firefighters to the scene to attack the fire while shuttling water to the remote rural location from hydrants in Simcoe.
Ontario Pork did not comment on the design and layout of the barn — including whether there were sprinklers or other fire-mitigation measures in place — but in general, pig barns contain numerous gated pens and divided sections, making quick removal of livestock a challenge.
WHAT WAS THE DAMAGE?
The farm pegged its losses at $30 million, according to the fire department. The business is insured.
WHAT DOES THE CLEANUP INVOLVE?
Provincial law says farms must safely and responsibly dispose of deceased animals — also known as deadstock — within 48 hours, whether through burial, incineration, composting or delivery to an appropriate disposal facility. That timeline is meant to guard against the spread of pathogens, the contamination of the water supply or the release of greenhouse gases like methane as the carcasses decompose.
In exceptional cases, such as a fire suddenly leaving an operation with a large volume of deadstock, farms can apply for an exemption to the 48-hour timeline. An OMAFRA spokesperson confirmed Mae-Mart Farms applied for and was granted “emergency authorization” to extend the deadstock removal process. Technical specialists from the ministry were brought in to help the farmer and Ontario Pork with “the appropriate disposal of deadstock,” though what that process has entailed in this case is unknown.
WAS THERE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE?
The province sent an environmental compliance officer to assess the site. The inspector determined the water used to fight the fire — 3.5 million litres, the fire department said — was contained within manure pits under the barn, and no water or manure runoff got into the municipal water supply. Norfolk County issued an air quality warning the day of the fire as smoke drifted as far as Jarvis, about 20 kilometres to the east.
WAS THIS A FACTORY FARM?
Ontario Pork says no pigs in Ontario are raised in factory farms, stressing the family ownership of most swine operations. The education-focused national non-profit Agriculture in the Classroom goes one step further, saying factory farming is a “myth” and “farms come in all shapes and sizes.”
Whatever the label, the pig barn that burned down in Norfolk was an example of a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), with thousand of animals living under one roof. Ontario's roughly 1,200 pig farmers must follow national standards, colloquially called “Canada's Pig Code,” that dictate “how animals are housed, what they eat and how they are cared for … all designed to keep pigs healthy,” Ontario Pork said, adding pig barns “are inspected by trained third-party veterinarians regularly.”
WILL PORK GET MORE EXPENSIVE?
Ontario farms annually produce 5.5 million hogs for human consumption, and Ontario Pork's spokesperson said the fire at Mae-Mart Farms “will not affect the availability of Ontario pork.”
“Ontario's pork sector remains strong and resilient, with producers across the province continuing to provide a safe, high-quality supply of locally raised pork,” said Kuiack, who did not comment on whether the loss of thousands of hogs would have any effect on the price of pork.
HOW DID THE FIRE START?
One of the biggest questions about this fire will forever go unanswered. Because the barn was built atop large manure pits and the flames destroyed the floor, it was unsafe for fire inspectors to enter the wreckage of the building. Once the cleanup and remediation efforts started, any evidence that could have helped investigators pin down the fire's origin was destroyed. The cause of the fire will therefore officially go down as “undetermined.”