Canada-based Olymel management announced plans to cease pork butt boning operations at its St-Hyacinthe, Canada, plant, resulting in the elimination of 340 positions. However, Olymel will maintain rendering operations for lard production at this facility, as well as frozen product storage operations, which will make it possible to maintain 70 positions.

Pork butt boning will now be done at facilities where slaughtering and butchering operations currently exist (St-Esprit, Yamachiche and Vallée-Jonction), thus improving operational efficiency and reducing costs. In addition, Olymel is studying various options to find a new vocation for the plant, which would enable it to fulfill other needs for the company.

"We regret to announce that pork butt boning operations at the plant in St-Hyacinthe will be terminated within about a 1-year timeframe. This solution was deemed necessary after a thorough analysis of processing costs with a view to making all our operations more efficient. I have requested that everything be done to facilitate the transition for employees assigned to another position or their relocation to another Olymel facility. I would like to express our gratitude to them for the years they have spent with the company. This is a difficult decision, but a necessary one if we are to achieve the conditions of efficiency and profitability that will enable us to maintain the bulk of other jobs across all our operations, and even create new ones,"says RéjeanNadeau, president and CEO.