Richard Decelles, general manager of Nutri-Oeuf, has taken issue with my July 5 post about business deals in the egg-grading and egg-processing industry.
First, I was wrong in saying that his Nutri-Ouef, a Quebec-based co-operative owned by 35 farmers, has a partnership or interest in Sparks Farms near Calgary.
I was right about Phil Carnovale buying the egg-processing plant that Global once owned and that Nutri Ouef is now an investor in that business. Decelles said it became a shareholder last year in this business, Supreme Egg Products.
Decelles said when Global sold the facility to a real estate investor, it never thought a competitor would open up there. Carnovale was a former Global partner. Global rolled its business in with Gray and they call their new egg-processing plant and business Egg Solutions.
He says I am wrong in suggesting that Bill Gray of Gray Ridge Farms is in any way an investor in Nutri Ouef or any of its affiliates and partnerships. He says Gray and the Hudson family, owners of Burnbrae Farms, are stiff competitors to Nutri-Ouef.
What Decelles did not say is that Bill Gray is a partner with Meb Guiliani of Sparks Eggs of Alberta in owning Ovale in Quebec.
Decelles says Nutri-Oeuf is in Manitoba, not Alberta. It's interest in Countryside in Manitoba, however, means it has some interest in Countryside's partner in National Egg whose other partners include Gray Ridge, Sparks, Golden Valley (half owned by Gray, half by B.C. egg producers) Ovale and Star Egg Company Ltd. of Saskatoon.
Decelles says Nutri-Oeuf also lost some farmers after Ontario Pride Eggs, which is one of its affiliates, bought Best Choice from Svante Lind.
That, Decelles notes, means Nutri-Ouef now has some Ontario shareholders. Maybe more egg farmers will join the co-operative to distance themselves from Gray Ridge and Burnbrae.
But, then again, the egg-grading and egg-processing industry is so intertwined now that almost all of the players are partners to one degree or another. And where is the Bureau of Competition Policy? And does anybody supervising supply management marketing boards care to take notice of how the whole system is being perverted for the benefit of a handful of multi-millionaires?
