Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Quality’s Toronto plant idle

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.