The national chicken marketing agency has turned the corner
and is increasing production this spring following a year of cuts because feed
costs drove formula-based chicken prices higher.
As prices rose, processors and the Chicken Farmers of Canada
national agency realized it would be difficult to maintain retail sales
volumes.
Now feed costs have eased a bit and prices for hogs and
cattle have increased meaning consumers find chicken prices competitive in the
meat counter.
Processors indicated to the national agency that they want
production to increase by 1.7 per cent to 161.3 million kilograms in Quota
Period A-111, which runs from May 20 to June 14. The agency has actually increased allocations for production to
164 million kilograms eviscerated weight.
The total allocation for Ontario remains virtually unchanged
from a year earlier at 53.2 million kilograms eviscerated weight, or 222.8
kilograms live weight.
Quebec’s total allocation increases by close to four per
cent to 45.3 million kilograms eviscerated weight or 61.6 million kilograms
live weight.
Ontario’s total allocation matches what the processors
indicated they want; Quebec’s processors want 43.7 million kilograms
eviscerated weight, but the allocation is 45.3 million.
