Maple Leaf Foods is announcing that it has reached an agreement to purchase four pig farms in central Saskatchewan from the Polar Pork group of companies.
The acquisition will increase Maple Leaf Foods’ overall pig supply and production capacity, the company says.
Subject to satisfaction of closing conditions, the purchase is expected to close in June 2022 and will include two sow barns and two nursery barns with the potential to supply approximately 140,000 pigs to Maple Leaf Foods.
Supply security from the transaction is directly tied to the company’s plans to grow production at its pork processing plant at Brandon, Man.
“This purchase offers us ready access to some of the healthiest hogs in Saskatchewan that will allow us to enhance our deliveries of high-quality pork to customers in Canada and Asia,” says Michael Detlefsen, president of the Maple Leaf Foods Pork Complex. “Bringing these barns into Maple Leaf Foods aligns with our strategy to pursue growth both domestically and abroad.”
Detlefsen adds that the company is very impressed with the skill the Possberg family and the team at Polar Pork have brought to the operations. “Based on this foundational work, Maple Leaf Foods is well positioned to build on its strengths and high standards to raise healthy pigs in Saskatchewan and produce high quality pork.”
Maple Leaf Foods expects to invest up to $27 million in the barns over time, inclusive of acquisitions costs and capital investments.
