Maple Leaf Foods announced Tuesday that it will be closing its 50-year-old Canard fresh poultry processing plant by the end of April, putting 380 employees out of work. The plant is said to have a payroll worth about $11 million and economic spinoffs worth about $40 million to the surrounding communities.

While he is concerned about what is happening to agriculture in the Annapolis Valley, Greg Young, president of the Eastern Kings Chamber of Commerce, says there is really very little his small organization can do to influence the outcome of events directly.

News about the Maple Leaf plant came suddenly from the company and shocked both workers and area communities. But there had been talk about changes coming for the operation, and this was likely to mean job cuts at the very least.

Maple Leaf management said Tuesday the viability of the plant was challenged by its age and that production volume was too small to justify the $30-million investment required to upgrade the plant and make it profitable.

Source: The ChronicleHerald.ca