Industry is exploring how to produce kosher chicken in Ontario

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

Chicken Farmers of Ontario and several provincial businesses are discussing ways to have kosher chicken produced in the province again but so far a deal hasn’t been reached.

Earlier this year, Ontario chicken farmers lost their ability to supply the kosher market after the province’s only kosher processor, Chai Kosher Poultry of Toronto, closed. Montreal-based processor Marvid Poultry is now supplying the Ontario market with chicken that comes from Quebec farmers. Marvid is the only kosher poultry processor left in Canada.

Michael Edmonds, Chicken Farmers of Ontario director of communications and government relations, says there’s “a lot of discussions going on about finding solutions to produce kosher chicken in Ontario but no decisions have been made or finalized by any party.”

There’s a lot of speculation now about how the kosher market will be supplied and who will process the chicken, Edmonds says, repeating, “nothing has been finalized.”

Sargent Farms CEO Kevin Thompson says in a June 21 interview the Milton-based company is in discussions with kosher deli meat manufacturer Perl’s Fine Foods Ltd. of North York “but nothing has been finalized and there’s certainly no agreement for the means for them to get a supply of chicken at the moment.” He says other “areas of the industry” are also in discussions with Perl’s.

Sargent Farms bought all of Chai’s rights to buy live chickens in the province for its halal chicken processing business. However, the company did not buy the Chai poultry processing facility.

In an earlier interview, Thompson said Sargent couldn’t do kosher chicken processing because it doesn’t have the necessary equipment. “It’s a different process.”

Asked on June 21 if the discussions involved Sargent supplying chicken to Perl’s for kosher processing, Thompson says, “No, I wouldn’t say that.” He says he didn’t want to get into details about what the discussions do involve.

The objective of the discussions is to find a way for the kosher market to be supplied in Ontario with chicken grown in the province, he says.  “Whether that will actually come to pass or not, it’s too early to say.”

He says there isn’t a deadline for an agreement to be in place.

Speaking on behalf of Perl’s, a man who identified himself only as Lazer and who says he’s a consultant but not an employee of Perl’s, confirmed discussions are taking place and Perl’s is involved. “At this moment we are working on a lot of angles and hopefully very soon we will have some positive news.”

Lazer says there are still a lot of issues to be resolved and if they are worked out “there will be kosher slaughter in Ontario” once again.

He adds he doesn’t know how long it will take to reach an agreement. BF