Challenges for Canadian poultry industry
CANADA - A private company’s decision to close its longtime operations in the Annapolis Valley will cost nearly 400 direct jobs and possibly damage a key sector of the farm economy.
22 January 2007
2 minute read
Toronto-based Maple Leaf Foods is closing its fresh poultry plant in Canard in April, putting 380 employees out of work and depriving poultry farmers of a major market.
Poultry is big business in Nova Scotia, accounting for $55 million in farm gate receipts and 12.5 per cent of primary agriculture revenues. It is concentrated in the Annapolis Valley, where three plants in Kings County employ over 900 people.
The closure is being blamed on an aging plant and insufficient volume of product to justify a $30-million investment required for a viable operation.
The company is promising displaced workers will be provided with "financial and outplacement support," including the possibility of being offered jobs at other locations.
Source: The ChronicleHerald.ca
