Reading Time: 3 minutes Pork and poultry packer Olymel is preparing to permanently shut two further-processing facilities and shift their work to other plants in a new round of consolidation. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec’s Sollio Cooperative, announced Wednesday it will permanently close its pork boning and packaging plant at Princeville, Que. effective Nov. 10, and its […] Read more

Olymel to consolidate Ontario, Quebec further-processing
Chicken plant at Paris, Ont., and pork plant at Princeville, Que. to close

JBS posts quarterly loss on tight U.S. beef margins
'Greater balance' forecasted for global chicken supply
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian meat company JBS SA on Monday reported a second-quarter loss citing the negative effects of an oversupplied global chicken market and tighter margins for its beef business in the U.S., where it gets most of its sales. JBS reported a net loss of 263.6 million reais (C$73.8 million), the […] Read more

U.S. livestock: feeder cattle futures gain boost from corn market weakness
Meat packers continued to see profit margins stay in the red
Reading Time: < 1 minute Meat packers continued to see profit margins stay in the red

Pork sector calls for essential service status amid B.C. port strike
Council says pork should receive same consideration as grains
Reading Time: 3 minutes Leaders in Canada’s pork sector are calling on the federal government to give perishable agriculture products the same consideration and protection as grain. The call comes as a longshore workers’ strike at British Columbia’s West Coast ports nears its second week, blocking the shipment of Canadian meat and most other exports. Canadian Pork Council (CPC) […] Read more

Olymel bacon plant deal a ‘signal,’ union says
Deal ends three-week strike at Drummondville
Reading Time: 2 minutes Unionized workers at Olymel’s bacon processing plant at Drummondville, Que. have voted to accept a four-year deal, ending a three-week strike and serving as a “signal” to employers in the region, their union said. Olymel announced Friday that CSN-represented workers at the Bacon Inter-America facility, who’d been on strike since May 26, voted 93.6 per […] Read more

Inflation, interest rates, input costs catch up to meat sector
Canada's meat industry hits hard times
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s been a torrent of bad news in the meat sector in the last two months. Tyson Foods reported its first quarterly loss since 2009; HyLife’s processing plant in Windom, Minn., declared bankruptcy; Smithfield Foods is closing 40 sow farms in Missouri; Olymel announced the permanent closure of its Vallée-Jonction hog plant in Quebec; and […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hogs turn lower
August feeder cattle down second day
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s most-active live cattle and lean hog futures turned lower Monday on a down day overall in livestock trade. CME June live cattle ended lower Monday after three consecutive days’ climb, at one point dipping below their 10-day moving average before closing at 164.875 cents/lb., down 0.6 cents on the day (all […] Read more

Olymel to shut one Quebec hog slaughter plant
New provincial hog supply agreement in works as Vallee-Jonction facility set to close
Reading Time: 4 minutes Quebec-based meat packer Olymel’s bid to stem losses in its fresh pork business now includes closing down one of its five Canadian hog slaughter plants. Olymel, the protein arm of Sollio Co-operative, announced Friday it will wind down operations at its hog slaughter, cutting and deboning plant at Vallee-Jonction, Que. and permanently close the facility […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures continue climbing
Lean hog futures down on day
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle and feeder cattle futures continued climbing Tuesday, with most-active June live cattle again reaching a new contract high. CME June live cattle closed Tuesday at 163.95 cents/lb., up 0.25 cent on the day, while lightly-traded front-month April also closed at a new contract high of 172.3 cents, up 0.925 […] Read more

Maple Leaf sees ‘inflection point’ beyond red ink of 2022
Packer books net losses in Q4, full-year
Reading Time: 3 minutes Another of Canada’s major pork and poultry packers has reported significant net losses in its 2022 ledger, but sees “green shoots” suggesting a return to normal pork markets and stable supply chains this year. Maple Leaf Foods on Thursday reported a net loss of $311.89 million on $4.739 billion in gross sales for its fiscal […] Read more