September 8, 2006

Canadian pork plant closure seen to have minimal impact on supplies

The overall effect of the recent closure of a Moose Jaw meat packing plant in Saskatchewan on the pork industry will be minimal, a Canadian pork official said.

The Moose Jaw Pork Packers plant ceased operations Sep 1 due to financial troubles.

Don Hrapchak, general manager of the Saskatoon-based SPI Marketing Group, said the closure of the Moose Jaw Pork Packers is a disappointment, but noted the plant was not operating at its full potential before the closure.

The plant, previously known as Worldwide Pork, reopened in Jun 2006, after being closed since May 2005. Hrapchak said that the company was processing roughly 2,000 hogs per week, compared to 5,500 hogs before the 2005 closure.

"This is not a large number of animal when you consider that in Western Canada we process 200,000 animals a week," he said.

A spokesperson for Moose Jaw Pork Packers could not be reached for comment.