North 49 Foods Ltd., a division of the same company already operating Thunder Creek Pork, has officially opened its new, federally inspected sow harvest and processing facility just west of Moose Jaw, repurposing the mothballed JBS/XL Foods Beef Plant.
The sow plant is the first new pork processing facility in Canada in over a decade, and represents a major industry step forward for Western Canada.
The significance of the long-awaited grand opening was emphasized by a guest list that included Premier Scott Moe (who spoke at the event), Moose Jaw's Member of Parliament, MLAs from across the province including Moose Jaw North's Tim McLeod, Moose Jaw's Mayor Clive Tolley and several city councillors, Doug Zolinsky, the Director General of Prairies Economic Development Canada, and other senior representatives of government departments at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.
Also present were many significant industry figures, including producers, shippers, processors, and more from Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, and even overseas.
"The cost for this whole project would be in excess of $60 million," said Allan Leung, CEO of Donald's Fine Foods Group. "It is our largest investment to date, and this plant is also our largest in our whole system.
"Biosecurity, animal welfare, and improved financial returns for producers and packers are critical for the future of the Canadian pork industry. This is the first new major pork plant built in Western Canada in over 20 years and further demonstrates our commitment to the Western Canadian hog industry. We appreciate all the support we have received from our hog producers and customers and the financial support from the City of Moose Jaw, Provincial Government of Saskatchewan, PrairiesCan, and Sask Pork," Leung said.
"The location of the facility was chosen based on the proximity to the Western Canadian hog producers and the ability to source sows from the Western Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, thereby significantly reducing the industry's carbon footprint, improving animal welfare, improving pricing to producers, and enhancing bio-security by eliminating the need to ship sows to the U.S.A."
The plant is expected to receive its first shipment of sows by Nov. 2. It will employ about 80 employees at start-up, increasing to 200 employees once operations are at full capacity. Thunder Creek Pork currently employs about 275 people, so Leung expects his company will eventually be employing nearly 500 people in Moose Jaw.
The North 49 Foods plant received a $5 million interest-free loan from the PrairiesCanada, the federal prairie investment and development ministry, to help them start up. The provincial government and Sask Pork contributed $1 million toward installing a special cull line capable of handling emergency outbreaks of infectious disease in the provincial hog population.
"Our government is proud to welcome Donald's Fine Foods investment in the City of Moose Jaw along with the significant economic benefits it will create," Premier Moe said during his speech. Moe also congratulated company founder Donald Leung on the 30-year anniversary of Donald's Fine Foods, which now operates six locations and employs over 1,000 people, shipping products to 25 countries worldwide.
"Allan first came to Saskatchewan and to Moose Jaw, I think back in about 2008, 2009, and it's quite a story," said Mayor Tolley. "I think the main thing for us is appreciation and thankfulness that he chose Moose Jaw. He picked up a plant at that time that was not working, Thunder Creek Pork, and he made it work.
"He's now picked up a beef plant that was mothballed, and he's rejuvenated and rebuilt it using the latest technology, and so I think the theme for us, for the industry, for the province, for the citizens of Moose Jaw, is just a feeling of thankfulness to the (Leung) family for what you've done."
The plant has an approximate maximum capacity of 225,000 sows per year. The current process for sow processing involves shipping most of the animals over 1,000 kilometres to processing plants in the US. North 49 Foods will improve and alleviate concerns surrounding cross-border livestock controls, infectious diseases, the cost and carbon footprint of transportation, and the welfare of the animals themselves.
The plant is state-of-the-art, with computer controls integrated throughout. Attendees took a tour during which plant executives outlined numerous innovations designed to keep the animals calm and clean upon arrival, kill them as painlessly as possible, control for food safety at every single step of the process, and efficiently package and ship the resulting product.
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