Meat packer Olymel is set to close a chapter in its acquisition history when it shuts down two Montreal-area pork further-processing plants it bought five years ago. Olymel, a division of ag co-operative Sollio, announced Wednesday it will close the former Aliments Triomphe plant at Blainville and its sister plant about 18 km southeast at […] Read more
Tag Archives meat processing — page 6
Olymel to shut two pork processing plants
Triomphe ham, deli meat plants to close in late April
Préval closes deal for Alberta lamb processor, feedlot
Quebec firm picks up defunct NALCO's Alberta assets
Quebec agrifood firm Préval Ag has wrapped up its deal to buy the Alberta processing and production assets of the defunct North American Lamb Co., marking Préval’s first move into the lamb sector outside its home province. As per Alberta Farmer’s report last week, Préval confirmed Monday its divisions Westfine Meats and West Excelamb are […] Read more
Pork packer Olymel laying off dozens of managers
Market unpredictability, 'growth challenges' cited
Major Canadian pork and poultry packer Olymel has laid off 57 people from its management ranks and eliminated another 120 administrative positions, citing the company’s current “market context and growth challenges.” Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec-based Sollio Cooperative Group, said Tuesday its affected employees were notified Monday and have received their layoff notices. […] Read more
Maple Leaf to further consolidate Ontario poultry packing
Schomberg, Ont. plant to close by end of 2023
Maple Leaf Foods’ ongoing plan to consolidate its fresh poultry processing at London, Ont. now also includes the work from two more existing plants it owns north of Toronto. Maple Leaf said Wednesday that in “pursuing further optimization opportunities,” it will shift poultry volumes now processed at Bradford and nearby Schomberg to the new London […] Read more
Tool connecting farmers and processors being developed
An initiative to connect Ontario meat and poultry farmers in need of processing with abattoirs that have capacity is underway thanks to a $900,000 investment from the provincial and federal governments. The new Farmer-Processor Connections Initiative, led by Meat and Poultry Ontario and AgSights, will help relieve processing capacity challenges and supply chain disruptions, help […] Read more
Dufferin County looks to fill meat processing void
County accesses funding for facility as province, federal government expand investments
As the federal and provincial governments invest in an expansion of Ontario’s meat processing capacity, Dufferin County aims to fill a processing void by building a cooperative plant from the ground up. Dufferin’s Meat Processing Project is the first of its kind for the region, says Karisa Downey, manager of economic development. It’s designed to […] Read more
Britain facing mass cull of pigs due to butcher shortage
London | Reuters — Britain’s farming industry has warned that hundreds of thousands of pigs may have to be culled within weeks unless the government issues visas to allow more butchers into the country. An acute shortage of butchers and slaughterers in the meat processing industry has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and Britain’s post-Brexit immigration […] Read more
Meat plant support snapped up in eight days
Lobbying effort ongoing for increased funding
A $4-million provincial fund for meat processing plant upgrades was snapped up in just eight business days following its announcement in late 2020. Lobbying began almost immediately to have more cash added to the program. “We have heard from a couple of business owners who did not have their application completed before the window was […] Read more
Food processing workers get Phase 2 vaccine access
Meat processors and investigators eligible for COVID vaccines in next phase
Livestock producers and processors are more optimistic now that processing workers and inspectors will be vaccinated as part of Phase Two. “We recognize first responders, healthcare workers, and those in long-term care must be prioritized in terms of first access to vaccines,” said Rob Lipsett, Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) president. “However, we are thankful […] Read more
Meat plants consider automation
Tyson hires former Google research executive as president
Glacier FarmMedia – Hundreds of meat plant workers in North America fell ill with COVID-19 when the pandemic hit earlier this year. It caused many processors to temporarily close or slow production. That was combined with high absenteeism because workers feared getting sick and higher rates of worker absence persist in some regions. Why it […] Read more
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