Farmscape for December 8, 2010   (Episode 3475)

Saskatchewan's pork producers are applauding the pending opening of the newly renovated Thunder Creek Pork processing plant in Moose Jaw.

Last week the federal government announced a 1.7 million dollar investment to support Langley, B.C. based Donald's Fine Foods in upgrading its recently acquired Thunder Creek Pork processing plant in Moose Jaw.

The facility is scheduled to open early next month creating about 200 jobs and providing slaughter capacity for about five to six thousand head per week.

Saskatchewan Pork Development Board general manager Neil Ketilson notes the province has been without any significant federally inspected hog slaughtering plant since the closure of the Mitchell's Gourmet Foods plant in Saskatoon in the spring of 2007.

Clip-Neil Ketilson-Saskatchewan Pork Development Board:
You need to appreciate that the plant that's opening up in Moose Jaw is relatively small.

Up to full capacity it'll only be doing between five to six thousand a week.

While it is relatively small, it's still very significant for us.

What it does for our producers, for those that are providing hogs to the facility, is A a little bit more competition to the landscape in Saskatchewan and competition is always good.

Secondly it provides another processor that will be providing meat products to the wholesale and retail sector here in western Canada and across the world and C it opens the door for producers to consider or at least be able to have a significant player if not now perhaps in the future as that company grows and expands and hopefully makes some profit.

Despite the recent financial difficulties faced by pork producers Ketilson is confident the future of the province's pork industry remains bright.

He says with lots of natural ability, in terms of feed grains and space, western Canada is an ideal place to produce hogs.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council