NEW ACQUISITION OF MEAT PROCESSING PLANT IN MOUNT FOREST
Local Harvest Ontario Inc. has announced the purchase and acquisition of the meat processing plant in Mount Forest, ON. In their continuing commitment to bring local, naturally raised beef and lamb to markets across Ontario, Quebec, and greater Canada, Local Harvest Inc., a wholly owned division of Artisan Farms Direct Ltd., has acquired the former Apple Meadows federally licensed slaughter and meat processing facility. The plant will provide custom harvest and processing services for Artisan Farms Direct Ltd. and their community of family farmers that raise without hormone and antibiotic (RWA) Angus beef, RWA grass fed beef and lamb, and certified organic beef, producing NAMI specified boxed beef and lamb in minimum process lots for beef cattle and lamb. Custom slaughter and processing services are available to other likeminded locally based value chains, to assist in marketing their beef and lamb offerings to consumers in the GTA, Southern Ontario, Quebec and beyond.
20 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS 20
August 20204 March/April
The facility will be operated by Local Harvest Ontario Inc., licensed with the CFIA under the Safe Food for Canadians Act, and will employ up to seventy-five people when operating at full capacity. “My understanding is the plant has undergone improvements in recent years, and we will continue to upgrade the facility over the next three years. Our commitment is to provide not only the highest quality beef and lamb products, but to also provide a safe and secure workplace environment for our employees, all the while being mindful to both the financial success of operations, and becoming an integral component of agribusiness in southwestern Ontario” says Brian Read, Vice President of Local Harvest and General Manager of the Mount Forest facility. Brian adds “Given the recent COVID-19 outbreaks around the world, we have plans to ensure we address employee and staff safety before we start operations.”
2019 | 100TH ISSUE
