Donald's Fine Foods Announces Feasibility Study for Sow Processing Plant in Moose Jaw
Richmond B.C., May 26, 2020
Donald's Fine Foods is announcing plans to undertake a feasibility study to determine the viability of converting the former beef plant in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan into a sow processing facility.
The study, expected to be completed in six to eight weeks, will consider the financial feasibility, plus the overall support from producers, the public and government for creating a technologically advanced sow processing facility serving Western Canadian hog producers.
The additional sow processing capacity could be a significant benefit for the Western Canadian pork industry. Currently, producers export over 80 percent of their cull sows to the United States for processing. With a Moose Jaw sow processing plant, Western Canadian producers could benefit from greater profitability for sows due to reduced transport costs, greater ability to deliver direct, increased biosecurity and from the alleviation of border closure risks.
"Today's announcement is the first step toward a strategic investment to meet the demand for domestic sow processing," says Allan Leung, CEO, Donald's Fine Foods." We want to create more opportunities for pork producers and support the forecasted need for domestic sow processing capacity." The sow processing facility would complement the Thunder Creek Pork market hog processing operation. Thunder Creek Pork will continue to operate independently, and the jobs created from the sow processing facility will be entirely new. The new plant is anticipated to employ approximately 100 people with the capacity to process the majority of the cull sows in Western Canada, adding value to producers, the Province of Saskatchewan, and Donald’s Fine Foods.
"Today's announcement demonstrates our commitment to Moose Jaw and reinforcing our confidence in Saskatchewan as a place to do business. This investment would build a world-class facility with modern equipment and processes and develop high-quality training and job opportunities for the local workforce in a safe and inclusive environment," says Leung.
"This is an exciting step forward," says Fraser Tolmie, Mayor of the City of Moose Jaw." We have been in conversations with Donald's Fine Foods concerning expanding their operations in the City of Moose Jaw and the former JBS Beef site since December 2016.
Between the job creation and economic spin-off, this facility will create growth and opportunity in Moose Jaw for years to come. Our City Council thanks Donald's Fine Foods for their continued commitment to our city, and for recognizing that Moose Jaw is ripe with investment potential."
The jobs created, and economic output from this proposed facility support Saskatchewan's Growth Plan: The Next Decade of Growth 2020-2030 roadmap for a strong economy, strong communities and strong families, to build a stronger Saskatchewan. The Growth Plan calls for expanded value-added food processing, increased employment and enhanced producer profitability. This proposed sow processing facility would play a critical role in helping the Province to achieve these strategic goals.
"This is a positive development for the Western Canadian hog industry and for Saskatchewan," says Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture David Marit. "We look forward to working with Donald's Fine Foods as they undertake this feasibility study."
This opportunity further highlights Donald Fine Food’s commitment to the Western Canadian hog industry by offering a niche operation that improves producer returns for culled sows and enhances hog herd health. In the next few weeks, we will complete our feasibility review. Based on the feedback from producers, industry partners, and the different levels of government, the future of the plant will be determined.
About Donald's Fine Foods
Donald's Fine Foods is a Richmond, British Columbia-based company with four locations across Western Canada employing 800 employees with an extensive local and international customer base. We own and operate the Thunder Creek Pork processing plant in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where the company employs 250 people.
Donald's Fine Foods has grown over the last 27 years from a local meat distributor to a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality meat products. Spanning four locations in Western Canada, we are best known under several brands such as Savoury Choice, Paradise Valley, Primrose Farms and Sakura Farms. We are passionate about our people and our shared commitment to our mission: Creating great experiences around your table through quality foods, innovation and our values.
Contact:
Neil Ketilson, Industry Relations Manager
Donald’s Fine Foods
Tel: (306) 229-8976 Email: n.ketilson@donaldsfinefoods.com