April 12, 2010

Canada's Sunnymel to build new slaughterhouse in New Brunswick

Sunnymel, the partnership formed by Canadian meat processor Olymel and poultry producer Groupe Westco, recently announced that it had acquired two buildings and an additional 100 acres of land in Clair, New Brunswick to build a poultry slaughtering plant.

The new CAD30-million (US$29.8 million) transaction is part of an investment program begun over a year ago to complete a project to build a poultry slaughtering, cutting and deboning plant that would supply the entire Maritimes region from New Brunswick.

The acquisition of this additional land will provide needed space for truck traffic and facilitate access to the plant. The two buildings will be modified and be used as annexes. A garage will be built to do maintenance on the trucks that bring the birds to the plant. The second building will be able to house live birds arriving at the plant.

"We are very pleased to confirm these new investments, which will create jobs for workers in northern New Brunswick, as well as consolidate the entire industry in the Maritimes. We believe that 2010 will mark the end of obstacles to the project, which will benefit the entire region," stated Westco President and CEO Thomas Soucy.

Sunnymel is designed to integrate all supply operations, from farm to table, in order to strengthen the poultry industry in the Maritimes so as to better serve its markets. The Sunnymel business model pools the expertise of Westco, one of Canada's largest poultry producers, and Olymel, a prominent meat processor and distributor with a strong presence in the Canadian market.