Friday, March 30, 2012

Chicken industry fractured




Canada’s chicken industry is fractured over the issue of how much to produce this summer.

The Chicken Farmers of Canada marketing agency has the power to set production targets and has included a two per cent increase over year-earlier levels for market growth.

That is more than three associations, representing processors, further processors and restaurateurs, recommended.

The Canadian Egg and Poultry Processors Council called for only a one per cent increase.

The egg farmers spent time during the agency’s recent annual general meeting trying to tinker with the protocol for deciding how much chicken to produce and how to allocate it among the provinces.

Alberta brought a request for “special circumstances,” but only Ontario supported the proposal so it was denied.