Olymel hog plant in Alberta reopens after shutdown due to pandemic

Canada’s Olymel LP began to gradually reopen its Red Deer, Alberta pork-processing plant on March 4 after a temporary closure due to COVID-19 infections, a spokesman said on Monday

by Rod Nickel – Reuters

The plant, which can slaughter 45,000 hogs weekly, is currently operating at 50% capacity and will take a few weeks to return to normal operations, spokesman Richard Vigneault said.

“Alberta Health Services is conducting rapid voluntary testing on site for the novel coronavirus”

 

Three employees died, Vigneault said and hundreds became infected with the virus. He added that most have recovered and there are now 48 active cases.

Alberta Health Services is conducting rapid voluntary testing on site for the novel coronavirus. The company has enhanced social distancing protocols in the plant since reopening, Vigneault said.

Olymel warned last month that the temporary closure had resulted in a backlog of 80,000 to 90,000 hogs, and that it hoped to clear it four to five weeks after the plant reopened. In the meantime, the company had moved some pigs that it raised on its own farms to U.S. packers.