December 4, 2007

Plans to build new Saskatchewan hog slaughtering plant advance

Plans to build a new, 1 million head-per-year hog slaughtering facility in Saskatchewan have officially entered the second phase of development, according to a consultant.

Jim Ramsey, a project consultant for Fishing Lake First Nation and chairman of the project, said the first phase involved completing a due diligence report.

"The first level review shows, that from a business planning and a market analysis point of view, this is a good project and that conditions are favorable for pushing towards the second phase," Ramsey said.

The Fishing Lake First Nation expects to be in a position to break ground for the construction of a new slaughtering plant in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, by this spring, Ramsey said.

The Saskatchewan Slaughter Plant Initiative, a partnership involving the Fishing Lake First Nation, the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board, Big Sky Farms and the province of Saskatchewan, has been working toward the construction of the Saskatoon facility since Maple Leaf announced about a year ago that it would close its hog slaughtering facility in that city.

The closure of that facility left the province without an active hog slaughtering outlet. Producers in the province have been shipping hogs to slaughtering facilities in Brandon, Manitoba, Red Deer, Alberta, and the US.

Phase two of the project will include putting together a senior management team to address issues such as tendering and permitting, Ramsey said. Securing additional financial security will also be involved.

Phase three of the project will be the construction of the facility, Ramsey said.