Olymel
is investing more than $25 million to expand its hog slaughterhouse
and processing facility north of Montreal.
The
project will increase the operation's capacity by a third to 40,000
hogs per week.
Up
to 200 jobs will be added to the 810 workers at the St-Esprit
facility. They have agreed to extend their union contract by seven
years.
Olymel’s
chief executive officer, Rejean Nadeau, said the 3,250 square metre
expansion will allow the meat processing company to better meet
customer demand across Canada and exports, especially to China.
The
St-Esprit plant produces various cuts of pork, seasoned pork products
and vacuum-packed products. The expansion will add a refrigeration
room to produce chilled pork.
Olymel
also has operations in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and
Saskatchewan and is Canada’s largest-volume hog slaughterer. It
also has significant chicken processing facilities.
