Western Canadian Pork Producers Scrambling Following Olymel Closure

Feb 18, 2021

Pork producers are scrambling following the temporary closure of one of the largest hog slaughter facilities in the country due to a major COVID-19 outbreak.

Tyler Fulton, Director of Risk Management at Hams Marketing Services, commented on the situation at the Olymel Plant in Red Deer, Alberta.

"It's early days but it's no doubt a tough blow. When you've got an industry that is set-up really with just-in-time delivery on their live animals, any time a significant plant goes down for an extended period of time, it really makes it difficult to help manage the flows," he said. "We're all hoping that first of all that employees will be healthy and be able to return soon and that the total impact on the industry is limited to hopefully just a few days or at most a few weeks."

Olymel has informed all hog suppliers of the Red Deer plant on the situation and has suspended all pending deliveries until further notice.

As for the markets, Fulton says they have really taken off over the last two or three weeks.

Click here to see more...

Video: Exploring Precision Data in Swine Production - Dr. Janice Siegford

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show, Dr. Janice Siegford from Michigan State University discusses how precision livestock farming data can support pig health, welfare, transparency, and decision making. She explains why data ownership, privacy, consumer perception, and cost sharing must be addressed as technology becomes more common on farms. Listen now on all major platforms.

“Precision livestock farming data can support producers, veterinarians, certifiers, and consumers by enabling improved monitoring, prediction, and decision-making across the entire production system.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Janice Siegford / janice-siegford-24318839 is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University. Her expertise in animal welfare, neuroscience, and zoology supports research on pig behavior, stress resilience, and precision livestock farming. Her work explores early weaning, genetics, and stakeholder perspectives on technology adoption to improve pig care, health, and productivity. Learn more from Dr. Janice Siegford on The Swine it Podcast Show, available on all major platforms.