Farmscape for April 10, 2007  (Episode 2451)

The president and CEO of Big Sky Farms is convinced Saskatchewan remains a viable option for the long term production and processing of hogs.

A study, initiated last month, will look at the long term feasibility of building an apporoximatly one million head per year capacity hog slaughtering plant to replace the existing Mitchell's Groumet Foods plant which has been slated for closure by the end of next month.

The study is being funded by a group of investors, which includes the provincial government,  Big Sky Farms, the Fishing Lake First Nation and a group of producers that would supply hogs.

Big Sky Farms president and CEO Florian Possberg says the feasibility study will determine what a slaughter plant might look like, whether it can be sustainable and who the partners would be to make it happen.

Clip-Florian Possberg-Big Sky Farms 

It's a continuation of some work that was started a few years ago by Sask Pork.

It will determine what a feasible plant size could be, what those plant costs would end up being, whether there's a reliable supply of hogs to fill the plant.

It will include the cost of doing business and the potential markets and whether those markets are substantive enough to bring value to the overall project.

Really the feasibility includes a constructioin phase and then a business plan to determine the viability of the business plan as a stand alone business opportunitty.

Possberg says, with the existing slaughter plant slated for closeure by the end of next month, time is of the essence.

He notes the industry beleives Saskatchewan is a good place to grow hogs but the lack of a federally inspected hog slaughtering plant in the province may very well impede the ability to create a long term sustainable industry.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council