A rash of farm trespassing reports has at least one producer group advising its members on how to act, should it happen to them.
The Manitoba Pork Council says it has got several reports of suspicious individuals attempting to access member properties in the last week.
“These individuals have reported to be from utilities like Manitoba Hydro, but are unable to provide clear identification or the phone number of their supervisor to confirm that they were supposed to be on the property,” the council said in an Oct. 20 newsletter.
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Pork council general manager Cam Dahl said the exact reason for accessing the property was unknown, “but it probably wasn’t a good one.”
“It’s concerning,” he said. “It’s concerning from the point of view of safety of the farm family and the employees and, of course, this is also a very significant biosecurity concern as well.”
The pork council gave little other information on location or details surrounding the incidents, citing privacy concerns.
The Manitoba Chicken Producers, however, confirmed that it has got similar reports.
Executive director Wayne Hiltz said they are aware of four incidents in the last two months, all in southeastern Manitoba. In three of those cases, individuals claimed to be from Manitoba Hydro.
In two cases, farmers later contacted the utility company and confirmed that the individuals in question were not employed by Manitoba Hydro, “nor on Hydro business,” Hiltz said.
A representative from Manitoba Hydro said that the Manitoba Pork Council had recently reached out to the company in regards to the reports.
Manitoba Hydro employees and contractors are, “diligent about not entering a biosecure site without working with the producer,” the representative said, adding that legitimate staff and contractors should be wearing identification cards with their name and photo, and meter readers are in uniform while on the job.
Staff and contractors are also expected to behave professionally and “do not mind if asked to confirm their identity,” they noted.
It’s difficult to track instances like those reported by the pork council without detailed information, the representative said, but added that the company does keep records of all fieldwork and would be able to confirm whether an employee had been at a particular property.
Both producer groups say that, to their knowledge, police have not been involved in any of the reported incidents.
Manitoba RCMP said it has not had any specific complaints involving trespassers in southeast Manitoba claiming to be from Manitoba Hydro.
Trespassing complaints in the region in September and October have seen a bump over last year (nine more instances in September versus the same month in 2020 and three more so far in October), RCMP reported. Those numbers include all trespassing complaints, not just those associated with farms.
Looking further back, however, Hiltz added that there have been trespassing cases on chicken farms where police were involved.
“One a couple of years ago involved trespassers attempting to break into (the) barn, and when confronted, the farmer became aware that they were armed with machetes,” he said. “Thankfully, the trespassers left the premises after being confronted. Police were contacted and did respond.”
The pork council is urging its members to keep their eyes open in light of the reports.
A note in the Oct. 20 newsletter further advised farmers to keep barn doors locked, even if only working elsewhere on the property and to have biosecurity and “No Trespassing” signage at farm entry points. Furthermore, the council urged producers to assume they are being recorded if they do find someone within property lines, and behave accordingly.
“Be polite and respectful but firm in informing uninvited visitors that they’re trespassing on private property, and they need to leave,” the document read. “Should unwanted visitors not leave immediately, make them aware that you will call police, and call police should they still not leave. Do not threaten them or physically attempt to remove them from your property.”
Farmers were further advised to gather as much information, including video and pictures of their own, from those individuals if possible, including name, rationale for being there and identifying details of their vehicle.
Dahl also referenced the recently passed Bills 62 and 63, pertaining to trespassing law changes.
As an organization, the Manitoba Pork Council has championed the bills, arguing that those changes would help address trespassing and biosecurity concerns. They came into full effect earlier this month.
