The Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board is ready to
implement new allocations for chicken processors that will feature an end to
bringing in live birds from Quebec.
Quebec is ready to do the same on its side of the border.
About 10 per cent of the production in each province has
been contracted to processors in the other province.
There has been a
moratorium in place for more than two years preventing any increase in the
number of contracts between producers and processors in the two provinces.
However, recently Nadeau Poultry, a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Maple Lodge Farms of Norval, Ont., has been contracting with Quebec
producers to ship their birds to the Nadeau plant in New Brunswick.
It’s not yet clear whether the Quebec board will view this
as an Ontario betrayal of the deal to stop trying to contract with Quebec
producers.
The Ontario chicken board is in the process of informing its
quota-holding members where their birds are to be shipped beginning this fall.
It is also preparing for district meetings to explain what’s happening.
And it is planning an April 26 meeting in Guelph to explain
what’s happening to industry partners, such as feed mills, hatcheries and
service providers.
The news media is barred from the district and April 26
meeting.
The Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission is also
refusing to provide information/copies about the strategic
plan developed by the Chicken Industry Advisory Committee which the commission
chairs and in which it is a partner.
I have filed a Freedom-of-Information request to
get the information. I don't expect it to say much besides being in favour of motherhood and apple pie.
A director of the chicken board said it has not yet approved
the strategy that’s coming from the Chicken Industry Advisory Committee.
He
described it as an ongoing work in progress.
