Focus on the highest standards for sustainability, food safety and animal welfare

Ontario's Government announced a $34.5-million investment in Maple Leaf Foods' modern and innovative chicken processing plant in London over the next five years.

 

"This is the largest investment in the history of Ontario's agriculture sector, it demonstrates industry confidence in our growing economy, and it's another example of how we're making Ontario open for business," said Ford. "It's great to see a company like Maple Leaf investing here in London. This innovative new plant will modernize processing and help make Ontario's chicken farmers more competitive."

 

The new plant will focus on the highest standards for sustainability, food safety and animal welfare, and will raise productivity and help increase demand for more chickens from Ontario's farmers.

 

Also in attendance were Monte McNaughton, Minister of Infrastructure and Jeff Yurek, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London and Minister of Transportation.

 

"It is a pleasure to attend this Maple Leaf Foods announcement of a $660-million poultry facility in this community. I am proud to welcome this great news for Southwestern Ontario," said Yurek. "This shows that Ontario is open for business. I want to thank Maple Leaf Foods for continuing to invest in our great province and in Elgin-Middlesex-London."

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.