Olymel Planning to Reopen Quebec Pork Plant on Tuesday
Real Agriculture
By: Kelvin Heppner
April 11, 2020
Olymel says it will be resuming operations at its hog slaughter and cutting plant at Yamachiche, Quebec on Tuesday, April 14 after closing for more than two weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The plant, which normally processes 28 thousand pigs per week, has been closed since March 29, after nine employees tested positive for the virus.
“On behalf of Olymel management, I would like to thank all of the Yamachiche plant employees, who have been following lockdown instructions since March 29 and have agreed to come back to work on April 14 in these current difficult circumstances. To everyone at the Yamachiche plant and our other Olymel plants who has tested positive for COVID-19, we wish you a speedy recovery,” says Olymel president and CEO Réjean Nadeau, in a statement on April 11.
The full article can be found here.
Updated – Guidance to Meat Slaughter and Processing Establishments
The guidance document outlines steps that meat slaughter and processing establishments are required to take to address exposure risks for both establishment and CFIA employees. This is an update to the document that was published on March 31, 2020.
Olymel Plant Closure
Farms.com
By: Jackie Clark
April 7, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting some food supply chains by necessitating changes in processing-plant operations in an attempt to keep workers safe and healthy.
Processing capacity “is a huge issue for us. Packing plants for the last several months have been operating at capacity and with COVID-19 and social distancing, everyone’s doing their best to be safe and that has had an effect on plants’ capacity,” Eric Schwindt, chair of Ontario Pork, told Farms.com.
Olymel, a pork and poultry production and processing company based in Quebec, announced that it would be closing one of their Quebec pork processing plants for 14 days because of “the growing number of cases of COVID-19 among plant employees, which has reached nine,” a March 29 statement from the company said.
The closure is to prevent further spread of the virus among the nearly 1,000 employees, and give them two weeks to self-isolate before returning to work. The company assured customers that food hygiene and safety was maintained throughout the situation, in a statement released on April 3.
This work stoppage is important from a public health perspective, however, it does add a challenge to the pork industry.
To read the full article please click here.
CFA Survey
The CFA is doing a series of surveys each week to monitor how COVID-19 is impacting farmers.
NSDA Analytical Lab to Resume Soil Testing For Registered Farms
NSDA Notice: Soil testing for registered farms
Soil samples will be accepted effective immediately with testing scheduled to begin the week of April 14, 2020.
Guidance on Essential Services and Functions in Canada
Minister Blair (Public Safety Canada) released the Guidance on Essential Services and Functions in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This can be found within the “Food” section here.
Extension Deadline for Feed Renewal Applications
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is extending the deadline for livestock feed renewal applications until May 31, 2020, for registrations set to expire on March 31, 2020.
Please read the Notice to Industry for more information
Order of the Medical Officer of Health – Transportation
Please see the below Order by the Medical Officer of Health in relation to transportation of livestock during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was updated March 23, 2020.