During the next ten months, the company expect to begin the third and final phase, including the introduction of a newly-designed hide removal system. The High River plant currently utilises a hide-on carcase wash and beef carcase steam pasteuriser to reduce potential safety risks.

The High River processing facility is currently operating six days per week, with 1,800 employees running the plant at full capacity and processing 4,100 head of cattle per day.

Canadian officials are hoping an increase of domestic slaughterhouses, as well as new feed policies, will assist the Canadian cattle industry's recovery from the BSE episode. Canada will see an expansion of slaughter facilities in the coming years in an effort to minimise Canada's reliance on the US market, according to the Canadian Beef Export Federation.

They said expansion of Canadian slaughter facilities would allow the cattle industry to become more independent as well as aid financial recovery from the BSE crisis. The Canadian cattle industry is already working to re-establish trade with the major markets that stopped importing Canadian beef following the discovery of BSE in an Alberta calf in May 2003, and some countries are on the verge of accepting Canadian beef.

Cargill plan to buy control of Brazil's third-largest meat company, Seara Alimentos SA, in a deal that would open Brazilian meat markets to Cargill and could boost Brazil's meat exports. At a cost of $130 million, Cargill will purchase a 62% stake in Seara from Bevrexas BV, a Dutch subsidiary of Mutual Investment Ltd.

Cargill say the deal still has to be approved by Brazil's regulatory authorities. Cargill are already well established in Brazil, where they are major soy and sugar exporters. Apparently it has also been a long-term wish to get into the country's quick-growing meat market.

Source: Hidenet

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