Due to the continued financial losses and uncertainty in the hog and pork markets for the foreseeable future, Olymel has made the difficult decision to reduce its hog production in Western Canada. Approximately 80 staff will unfortunately be affected and all have been notified and given layoff notices. This decision will result in the closure of 5 sow units in Alberta (Smoky Sow/Dev, Pinnacle 1, Pinnacle 2, Dynacrest 1 and Dynacrest 2) and 1 sow unit in Saskatchewan (Kelsey) bringing the Olymel's western sow herd from 57,000 to 40,000 sows in production.
The Humboldt Olymel Human Resources team will work closely with all the affected staff on job placement to fill any vacant positions within Olymel's western hog sector or placement outside the company. Olymel would like to thank the staff of the affected production units for their contributions and will do everything to ensure a smooth transition.
The closure of the sow farms will result in a net reduction of approximately 200,000 market hogs annually to Olymel's Red Deer slaughter plant from company owned farms. However, the impact will not be felt until 2024 at the earliest and will be subject to independent hog supply availability.
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