January 12, 2016
Governments Invest in Expansion of Locally Owned Poultry Processing Facility
The governments of Canada and Manitoba will support the expansion of a producer-owned poultry processing company in Blumenort with $2.5 million in funding, Dr. Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament on behalf of Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Rural, Development Minister Kostyshyn announced today.
Granny’s Poultry distributes fresh and frozen Manitoba chicken and turkey across the country, and is one of the largest food processors in the province. The company is implementing a $37 million plant expansion and renovation, which will allow them to grow their business and purchase new equipment for processing, chilling, packaging and grading poultry, and improving production efficiency.
Minister Kostyshyn noted this investment also supports the Manitoba government’s goal of creating a $5.5 billion annual food processing industry by 2022, which is currently valued at $4.95 billion.
Granny’s Poultry currently represents 188 producer-member owners who supply the company with hatching eggs, chickens and turkeys. The company is the sole processor of turkeys in the province and employs approximately 500 Manitobans, supporting the livelihood of poultry producers, breeders and hatcheries.
The expanded facility will provide an opportunity for up to 148 employees to upgrade their skills over the next two years through new training. Jobs and the Economy will further assist the $37 million plant upgrading through the provision of a secured, repayable Manitoba Industrial Opportunities Program (MIOP) term loan of $2.5 million. The MIOP program provides term loans to assist expanding businesses in Manitoba.
The federal and provincial governments are investing $176 million of cost-shared programming in Manitoba under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets.
The Growing Value program provides financial assistance to existing agri-businesses that need to make changes to adapt to market forces and environmental considerations, to increase their ability to compete in domestic and international markets.
Quotes
“The Government of Canada is pleased to support the growth of Manitoba’s agriculture industry. This investment will create new opportunities for poultry producers and processors to expand their markets and help grow the economy.” – Member of Parliament, Dr. Doug Eyolfson on behalf of Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay
“This investment will go a long way to grow food processing and the poultry sector here in Manitoba. Strategic investments provide good jobs, and position local companies for long-term success.” – Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn
“This investment ensures our farmer-owners have a viable processor to buy their production long term. It also demonstrates the commitment that our farmer-owners have to the Manitoba poultry industry and to providing quality poultry products to consumers across Canada.” – Chairman for Granny’s Poultry, Barclay Uruski
“The expansion and upgrading of our processing facilities will keep Granny’s growing and competitive for years to come. Investing in state-of-the-art equipment will improve production efficiencies and help us develop new market opportunities for Manitoba poultry.” – Chief Executive Officer for Granny’s Poultry, Craig Evans
Additional Links
- www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/key-departmental-initiatives/growing-forward-2/?id=1294780620963
- www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/growing-forward-2/
- https://grannys.ca/
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