The lawsuits CAMI International Poultry Inc. of Welland
filed when it was left short of chicken to meet demand for Hong Kong dressed
chicken (feet and heads left on) have been settled out of court.
The terms of the settlements are confidential, according to
lawyers for CAMI and the company’s current owner, Joseph Wong.
Former principal Jimmie Lee sold to Wong, who was his silent
partner in the business.
There are indications, gathered from two independent sources
who asked not to be quoted, that members of the Association of Ontario Chicken
Producers have provided enough plant supply quota to prompt CAMI to drop its
lawsuits.
One lawsuit challenged the ban on trading live chicken
between Ontario and Quebec. That means the chicken industry avoids a challenge
based on an agreement premiers reached several years ago on freedom for
internal trade.
According to a court decision posted on the internet, CAMI
was unable to furnish a copy of that agreement on internal trade, so the judge
said it either had to produce the document or lose the case.
It’s not clear whether CAMI ever did find and furnish the
document.
The other lawsuit sought to upset an agreement reached by
the federal trade department and the Chicken Farmers of Canada, the national
agency for supply management.
Under that agreement, when a company files an application
for a supplementary import permit, the federal trade department asks the
national chicken agency if it can find Canadian-produced chicken to meet the
applicant’s requirements.
Under that system, the federal trade department has been
accepting any live or processed chicken that could meet market demand.
Lee argued that plain-vanilla chicken would not satisfy his
market demand because he needed to have birds with feet and heads left on.
That issue also remains unresolved because that lawsuit has
been dropped.
