For a long time, the Canadian pork industry thought that Les Viandes duBreton would be the first Canadian packer to breach the European Union trade wall. But in late winter, another Quebec company, Aliments Lucyporc, with a plant in Yamachiche, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, cracked the wall first.
Independently owned Lucyporc was formerly owned by Maple Leaf, says Martin Rice, executive director, Canadian Pork Council, which manages the Canadian Quality Assurance (CQA) program for pork. A company press release issued March 2 says that “specialized Nagano hogs” are raised on “only two CQA Certified family farms” from known specialized genetics – Landrace/Large White X Nagano Duroc – and fed a special meat and bone meal-free diet.