Quality Meat Packers hasn’t paid farmers for hogs shipped
last week, so farmers have stopped shipping the company hogs, so the Toronto
plant has been idle this week.
The company’s plant at Mitchell has not been included in
bankruptcy proceedings, but farmers stopped shipping there as well.
The Toronto plant has capacity for 23,000 hogs per week, the
Great Lakes Specialty Meats Canada Ltd. plant at Mitchell 8,000.
Quality and its sister company, Toronto Abattoirs Ltd., have
sought protection from their creditors while they try to sort out their
finances.
There is no financial protection plan for Ontario hog
farmers. The marketing board pondered that option last year, including a plan similar
to the one for beef farmers, but decided not to act.
Farber Financial Group is working on the financial aspects
for David Schwartz, the head of the family that owns Quality.
It says no creditors since April 3 are being paid and says
it will post a list of creditors on its website by Thursday.
