In mid-May, B.C. Pork, Alberta Pork, Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork issued a joint invitation to executives from Maple Leaf Foods, Olymel and Donald’s Fine Foods to discuss the state of the western Canadian pork industry, and to work for solutions that generate shared value for producers and processors.
Our request was to meet before the end of June, to address pricing concerns and generate ongoing dialogue toward better opportunities for all stakeholders. The request has been acknowledged, and meetings have been conducted with Mr. Allan Leung (CEO, Donald’s Fine Foods) and his executive team, along with Mr. Michael McCain (CEO, Maple Leaf Foods) and his executive team. We are hopeful that a meeting can be arranged in the very near future with Olymel representatives.
Alberta Pork appreciates the opportunity to engage in these conversions, as well as the time committed to the discussions. We look forward to seeing tangible outcomes, and we will keep producers updated as the process continues. Read the meeting invitation and full summary.
Moving forward, Alberta Pork will continue to provide further coverage of shared value outcomes, including expanding on some parts of the meeting summary. Stay tuned for more information, starting next week.
For further context related to shared value, check out these articles from the Canadian Hog Journal:
- Quality assurance brings value, but who pays? (Winter 2020)
- Buying into biosecurity can be a burden (Spring 2020)
- Producer-packer tensions threaten viability (Summer 2020)
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Darcy Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Alberta Pork by email at darcy.fitzgerald@albertapork.com or by phone at 780-491-3529, toll-free at 1-877-247-PORK (7675).
