Chicken Farmers of Ontario is dialing back production because the outlook is so uncertain in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But chickens are already in barns for the upcoming six weeks, so those production volumes are unlikely to change.
What is happening is a 15 per cent reduction in planned production for the next quota period, which begins in about six weeks.
Chicken is a mainstay of major restaurant chains such as Swiss Chalet, Popeye’s, St. Hubert and Kentucky Fried Chicken, and those restaurants are closed with take-out orders only a fraction of their usual business.
Supermarkets, on the other hand, are in a guessing game of their own, at times sold out and at other times looking at fully restocked counters.
As one chicken farmer said, “these are uncertain times. The board is just doing its best.”
