Thursday, February 2, 2012

More chicken coming



The national chicken marketing agency has turned the corner and is increasing production this spring following a year of cuts because feed costs drove formula-based chicken prices higher.

As prices rose, processors and the Chicken Farmers of Canada national agency realized it would be difficult to maintain retail sales volumes.

Now feed costs have eased a bit and prices for hogs and cattle have increased meaning consumers find chicken prices competitive in the meat counter.

Processors indicated to the national agency that they want production to increase by 1.7 per cent to 161.3 million kilograms in Quota Period A-111, which runs from May 20 to June 14. The agency has actually increased allocations for production to 164 million kilograms eviscerated weight.

The total allocation for Ontario remains virtually unchanged from a year earlier at 53.2 million kilograms eviscerated weight, or 222.8 kilograms live weight.

Quebec’s total allocation increases by close to four per cent to 45.3 million kilograms eviscerated weight or 61.6 million kilograms live weight.

Ontario’s total allocation matches what the processors indicated they want; Quebec’s processors want 43.7 million kilograms eviscerated weight, but the allocation is 45.3 million.