Canadian poultry and pork processor and distributor, Olymel LP announced on April 19 the closure of another one of its plants.
This time, the plant slated for closure is the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu location in Quebec, which primarily focuses on poultry production with a few pork products.
“This decision comes against a backdrop of falling production volumes, which has led the plant to operate at only 40 percent of its operational capacity,” wrote Olymel in a news release. “A reorganization of production within the Olymel family will enable operations to be redeployed to neighboring plants with residual capacity to handle these volumes.”
The closure will impact 135 employees, including 23 non-regulated employees and 30 employees with temporary foreign worker status with official closure set for July 19.
Employees of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu are expected to be part of a relocation plan where people can move to other operations in Olymel, including Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Unidindon), Saint-Damase, Ange-Gardien, or the Boucherville distribution center.
“This is a difficult decision for the employees affected, and one we regret having to make,” said Yanick Gervais President and CEO of Olymel. “We are aware of the value and expertise of our employees at the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu plant, and we are determined to keep as many of them as possible within the Olymel family. That’s why we’re going to put in place a solid relocation plan that will enable those who wish to do so to pursue their careers within our organization.”
In relocation cases, seniority years will be acknowledged for compensation and benefits once approved by the unions at the receiving plants. Additionally, Olymel has committed to collaborating with federal and provincial authorities to assist temporary foreign workers in transferring to another company location.
In April 2023, Olymel announced the closure of its Vallée-Jonction hog slaughtering, cutting, and deboning plant and two other plants in Blainville and Laval. Then, in May, the company announced further closures at sow units in Alberta and one sow unit in Saskatchewan, which dropped the sow herd from 57,000 head to 40,000 sows in production.
