white-feathered chicken

Processors’ concerns threaten to unravel national chicken allocation agreement

Provincial regulators asked to review the deal

A late appeal by western Canadian processors could jeopardize a landmark agreement aimed at settling a long-standing dispute among provinces over allocating broiler chicken quota. Chicken processors in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia are appealing a memorandum of understanding signed last summer by provincial chicken-marketing boards and Chicken Farmers of Canada for the allocation agreement.

Chicken Farmers Keeping Up With Rising Grain Costs

Manitoba chicken producers are holding their own so far against the high price of feed grain but they admit it’s a struggle to keep up with rising costs. “The pressure is there,” said Jake Wiebe, Manitoba Chicken Producers vice-chair. Wiebe said he currently pays an average of $376 a tonne for feed on his broiler


Mexico Begins U.S. Chicken Probe

Mexico, the top foreign buyer of U.S. chicken last year, said Feb. 8 it would investigate U.S. producers over dumping complaints lodged by Mexican chicken processors. Mexican chicken processors allege U.S. producers sold chicken legs and thighs on the Mexican market below their cost of production in 2010. Among the U.S. producers named in the

Chicken Dispute Offers Cautionary Tale

Ontario and Quebec are embroiled in a chicken war reminiscent of trade squabbles between provinces that led to the creation of supply management more than 40 years ago. Chicken Farmers of Ontario has placed a moratorium on interprovincial movement of chicken to stem a bidding war between processors at home and in next-door Quebec. The


Regulatory Change Surprises Chicken Producers

“We were not consulted.” – Wayne Hiltz, Manitoba Chicken Producers The province has caught Manitoba broiler chicken farmers off guard by ordering them to develop a plan to ensure supplies of live chicken to processing plants. Producers say they didn’t ask for this and the demand by the government took them completely by surprise. “We