

Avian flu circles back to Quebec
Saskatchewan's bird mingling ban held over
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu have returned to Quebec’s poultry sector after a lull of just over two months, while more Canadian cases continue to pile up at points west. Canada’s fall migratory season for wild birds appears to have led to the return of outbreaks in both commercial and backyard poultry flocks and […] Read more

Pork packer Olymel laying off dozens of managers
Market unpredictability, 'growth challenges' cited
Major Canadian pork and poultry packer Olymel has laid off 57 people from its management ranks and eliminated another 120 administrative positions, citing the company’s current “market context and growth challenges.” Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec-based Sollio Cooperative Group, said Tuesday its affected employees were notified Monday and have received their layoff notices. […] Read more

Thanksgiving in a time of bird flu
North America's poultry sector is embroiled in a fall surge of avian influenza, even as turkey demand hits one of its annual peaks
It’s the final stretch until Thanksgiving, but anyone hoping to bring their raw bird over the border may be disappointed. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public that raw poultry, including turkey, from restricted areas of the U.S. will not be allowed past the international border due to the ongoing fight with […] Read more

Conagra tops profit, sales estimates even as consumers turn thrifty
Reuters — Conagra Brands beat quarterly sales and profit estimates on Thursday, boosted by higher prices for its Marie Callender’s and Slim Jim brands even as consumer demand wanes under the weight of decades-high inflation. Global food companies have been increasing prices over the past year to shield profit margins, which have been squeezed by […] Read more

More penguins dying of avian flu at Cape Town colony
Visitors urged to disinfect shoes to prevent virus' spread elsewhere
Cape Town | Reuters — More penguins have died from avian flu at the colony at Cape Town’s Boulders beach, a popular tourist attraction and an important breeding site in South Africa, raising concerns for the species and for other seabirds. David Roberts, a clinical veterinarian at the South African Foundation For The Conservation Of […] Read more

Saskatchewan, Ontario ban birds at events
Bans back on as fall migratory season underway, avian flu cases stack up
At least two provinces now have bans in place on birds being brought to fall ag fairs and other such events, as cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza pick up again in Canada’s domestic birds. Ontario — which had such a ban in place this spring — reinstated it effective Sept. 23 through to Oct. […] Read more

Avian flu returns to southwestern Ontario
More cases also turn up in western provinces
Highly pathogenic avian influenza has circled back to Ontario for the first time in four months with an outbreak in a commercial poultry flock in Oxford County. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Friday confirmed the outbreak at a farm in the township of Zorra, about 20 km east of London. Details on the […] Read more

Avian flu circles back in Western Canada
All western provinces book new cases in commercial birds
A relatively quiet summer for highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canada has turned for the worse, with outbreaks on commercial poultry farms in all four western provinces in the past week alone. Cases of high-path avian flu in domestic birds in Canada confirmed and reported by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency since Aug. 31 include: […] Read more

Ontario halal processor to buy poultry packing capacity
Amir Quality Meats taking up Wellington Poultry
An Ontario meat processor specializing in the halal market has a deal in place to boost its capacity by buying a nearby chicken and specialty fowl packer. Amir Quality Meats, which operates a federally registered HACCP-certified boning and cutting plant at Brampton, has an agreement in place to buy the processing plant and “associated supply” […] Read more

Chicken lords over beef with consumers
Prime Cuts with Steve Kay
Beef is still king of the meat case in U.S. grocery stores. But chicken wins hands down in per capita consumption and has done so for years. Beef is regarded as the meat treat and chicken the survival food for protein. Now that food inflation stalks grocery store aisles and talk is increasing about the […] Read more