Canadian meat and poultry processor Maple Leaf Foods has completed the transfer of production from its facility in Moncton, New Brunswick, to other facilities in the company's scale prepared meats network. The previously announced closure occurred on schedule at the end of September and decommissioning of the facility will be complete by the end of October.
"We are in the final months of a historic transformation of our prepared meats network that will step-change our competitiveness and profitability," said Michael H. McCain, president and CEO, Maple Leaf Foods. "This year, we have been acutely focused on shifting production to new scale facilities and closing legacy plants. We are committed to doing this in a way that is respectful and fair to our people, working closely with communities to support their transition to other employment."
Maple Leaf Foods has operated the 48-year-old Moncton plant since 2000. Products that were previously made at the plant have been transitioned to the company's scale, higher-efficiency facilities in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Hamilton, Ontario.
Maple Leaf Foods, in partnership with the UFCW local 1288P union and local and provincial governments, established an adjustment committee in 2012 to support the transition of the approximately 450 affected employees to new employment. Approximately 100 people worked at the facility at the time of closure. The committee has established a learning center to provide employees with new skills training, job search and career development assistance.
