November 21, 2022

Olymel announces definitive closure of St-Hyacinthe, Canada pork processing plant

Olymel's management has announced the closure of its pork processing plant located on St-Jacques street in St-Hyacinthe, Canada.

The plant will continue to operate until February 10, 2023, which is the scheduled date for the facility’s definitive closure. All employees will be offered the opportunity to be relocated to other Olymel facilities in the region.

Last July, Olymel announced a reduction in the plant’s packaging operations. This announcement followed a reorganising of the company's workforce in the fresh pork sector, as well as a reduction in the volume of products requiring packaging. Primary processing facilities (slaughtering and cutting) are now able to cover the packaging operations previously handled in part by the St-Hyacinthe plant.

Products previously stored at the St-Jacques street plant will be transferred to other internal or external distribution centres. In addition, given the scale of the investments required to maintain the melting operations for lard production, Olymel’s management team decided to end this activity. In the future, raw materials used to make lard will be sold to an external company.

"This decision ties in with the restructuring of the fresh pork sector and stems from a months-long analysis," said Yanick Gervais, president and chief executive officer of Olymel. "Closing the St-Hyacinthe plant is part of the difficult, albeit necessary and responsible, measures to ensure that the fresh pork sector gets back on the road to profitability after two years of difficulties caused by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the labour shortage,

market uncertainties and various other factors underlying the unfavourable economic situation.

- Olymel