In a significant move, Olymel, a prominent meat processing company, has announced the permanent closure of its Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu plant this summer. This decision will affect 135 employees.
The company’s management stated in a recent news release that the plant, specializing in poultry and pork processing, was only operating at 40 percent capacity.
Scheduled for closure on July 19, the announcement came as a shock to employees who were notified last Friday. Among the affected workforce, 30 are temporary foreign workers, while 23 are non-regulated employees.
This closure marks the eighth plant shutdown by Olymel since 2021, signifying a trend of restructuring within the company.
Olymel has offered to relocate employees willing to stay with the company to other plants experiencing labor shortages, such as those in Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint-Damase, Ange-Gardien, or Boucherville, Que.
The closure of the Vallée-Jonction plant in 2023 was particularly impactful, as it employed nearly 1,000 workers.
The decision to close the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu plant is part of Olymel’s ongoing restructuring efforts, which have been prompted by a decline in Quebec’s pork industry exports over the past few years.
Despite these challenges, Olymel has seen a resurgence in profitability, with a surplus of $138.3 million in 2023, a significant improvement from the $446.1 million loss reported in 2022.
