Flying pigs a good sign

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/05/2009 (6354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – Turns out that pigs can fly — and they did it in style early this morning.

It was hog heaven for almost 900 pigs when they were loaded onto a nearly brand new Boeing 777 cargo jet and flown out just after midnight to fly non-stop to Germany.

It was the first time this giant cargo jet — which only began flying for companies late last year — had ever flown into Winnipeg.

After going the pig equivalent of first class, the breeding hogs were then to travel in a much lower class of travel — a truck — to a facility in Russia where they will produce more swine.

Mike Van Schepdael of Manitoba-based Genesus Inc., which produces the hogs, said the cargo jet will save time for the pigs.

"Normally what we do is we ship them, whether it’s to Korea or Russia, by truck to Toronto, Chicago or Calgary so they can get on a plane there," Van Schepdael said.

"It takes close to 24 hours to truck them to Toronto and you have to feed and water them. Now we can have them fly out of Winnipeg.

"It’s a lot easier for the pigs."

Van Schepdael said the company is already planning future 777 flights for shipping out hogs.

"This is good for Winnipeg," he said, noting it’s cargo shipments like this that will also help the creation of CentrePort.

Earlier this month CentrePort, an inland port, was given a major boost when the federal and provincial governments announced $212 million to build a four-lane freeway to connect the airport and CentrePort land with Inkster Boulevard and the Perimeter Highway.

Geoffrey Robinson of Sea Air International in Toronto, the company which arranged for the Boeing 777 to come to Winnipeg to pick up the pigs, said the hogs will take up 10 of the 27 cargo platforms inside the plane.

"If there was a premier executive class for pigs, this is it," Robinson said.

"They’ll have food and water during the flight — everything but an inflight movie."

Christine Alongi of the Winnipeg Airports Authority confirmed that aside from a passenger 777, which touched down last year to offer tours to Air Canada and Boeing employees, no other plane of that type has landed here.

"This saves shipping days for this company," Alongi said.

"It’s important for people to know Winnipeg can accommodate aircraft of this size. It’s also good for CentrePort — it shows the beauty is our geographic location."

Kelly Funke of the Manitoba Pork Council said pigs have been flown out of Winnipeg before, but in smaller planes and in fewer numbers.

"This is fairly huge and it is cool to be using such a new large plane," Funke said.

"It speaks to the quality of genetics here in Manitoba. We always believed we are head of the pack and this supports us."

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca