BURLINGTON — Amid higher prices for other meats, Canadian consumers are flocking to chicken. Demand for chicken is projected to be up 7.32% in Ontario during the fall, and the managers of this country’s chicken meat supply are going to goose on-farm production to keep up with that growing appetite.
Based on market trends, Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) last month allocated 6.5% more production to this country’s chicken farmers — 7.32% for those located in Ontario — effective for the Oct. 23 to Dec. 17 production period. Ontario’s output would stand at 72.4 million dressed kilograms in the period, out of 207.6 million kilograms nationally.
CFC oversees chicken production in coordination with the provincial chicken marketing boards like the Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) as part of the poultry supply-management regime.
CFO attributes continued strong demand for chicken to the price of competing alternative meats and higher food-service sales coinciding with the end of pandemic restrictions.
It’s anticipated the new chicken meat production levels will be formally approved Sept. 13.
