XL Foods Announces Temporary Layoffs

[grassfarmer]

Who are we to listen to though Cameron? I don't have
an inside connection with Nilssons but in that link I
posted Brian Nilsson stated they "had completed all
the corrective actions the agency requested" and
"fixed all the problems that forced food safety
officials to shut it down."
On the TV news tonight they said the results of the
pre-inspection were to be announced as early as
tomorrow.
So if you've done all the work that was asked of you
in terms of compliance as he claims why lay off the
workers before the outcome is known?
Something sounds fishy to me.
You are the only person I've heard mention that CFIA
hasn't spelled out the requirements yet.

[SheriMonk]

They haven't spelled out anything.
They talk about a next stage, but don't say what it
is, or how or when it will be rolled out.

(Working on an article right now.)

There was some E. coli at the plant, yes. An initial
recall, yes. And then about a week into it, the whole
thing went off the rails, and that runaway train is
still going.

When it comes to this issue, everyone needs to
separate their personal feelings about the Nilssons
from what appears to be some very bizarre
circumstances surrounding this recall.

The bottom line here is that if this was mishandled,
if the recall isn't science-based, or if the CFIA
bungled this, as an industry and as a nation, we
need to know how, and why.

Having covered the contaminated feed wreck the
CFIA presided over in 2007 and knowing Cam's
statement of claim... let's just say I strongly doubt
that E. coli was the biggest problem in that plant.

[cpallett]

Iain you will, as always, believe whatever you choose to believe. As Polonius said:

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

Yup, NB "completed all the corrective actions requested" and then were told that more 'corrections' were likely to be requested following the pre-inspection. Details from the CFIA to follow. Timeline unknown.

So, at the end of the pay period NB laid off the workforce rather than pay them to sit on their hands with no end in sight. Given that the plant has been closed for two weeks now one might expect the CFIA to have a handle on the full gambit of corrective measures they require in order to reopen the plant, but apparently they do not.

Perhaps the CFIA are waiting for the Americans to tell them what further corrective measures might be required when they do their audit. I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

As usual the working stiffs get the dirty end of the stick.

[mcfarms]

CFIA is claiming on the calgary herald website that XL halted the line halfway through the 5000 head.

Oh god what a cluster....
I'd like to believe someones going to be held responsible for this mess, but I know who'll be paying for it.
(neither the feds/cfia or XL)

[SheriMonk]

These USDA inspections have been in the works for
some time now, and if I am a healthy-functioning
food inspection agency, I'd really want this plant up
and running to show that I know how to handle a
recall, how to inspect a plant, and how to ensure a
plant is in safe working order.

Having your largest plant sit idle as the domestic
cattle business slides off a cliff is not a feather in
anyone's cap.

Analyzing the number of illness per million pounds
of recalled beef reveals how overreaching this recall
truly is.

This one recall is more worthy of an X-Files episode
than all the cattle mutilations and crop circles put
together.

[SheriMonk]

Halted what line through what 5,000 head? When?
Link?
There has been no line since the plant was delisted
domestically on the 27th.

[rkaiser]

I kinda liked Iain's diatribe Cameron. Randall here checking in after an amazing grand opening day at our new store. Shoulda seen how easy it was to comply with all the health and safety issues when everything was brand new. The next step is to upgrade the store that is almost ten years old, even though we have not implemented any grandfather clauses that other meat shops use.

I hope that that first paragraph makes some some sense of what I have to say in the following couple.

NB bought a cheap "OLD" plant at a opportune time and made some major coin playing the basis game with Cargill for a lot of years. Where did all that profit go? Into major expansion of many other business ventures including new ranches, feedlots, auction barns, 1/2 interest in Spring Creek's Natural program, etc. etc. They coulda bought a brand new plant real cheap at Balzac with a few months profit in 2006.

And please don't nobody try to tell this old boy that there ain't bin no money in the cattle packin business since BSE. LOL

Just because the Brooks plant is big does not mean that it is much different than any other business. Hell, buy a cheap old tractor fer crying out loud. Drive the piss out of it and rake in a few bucks from $5.50 barley, wear it out, and then what.... whine to the people who made the tractor, or the government for not telling the folks making tractors to make em last longer?

NB made their money, very likely paid themselves handsomely, divested, grabbed a few government grants, rode out some grandfather clauses and are now saying that CFIA is to blame for thier woes. Bull Shit. Like Iain said, Yvo and the boys in Lacombe seem to be functioning, as well as Cargill and any other small plant that can survive the scrutiny of inspection.

I am fully on side with Christoph on this one. Time for Brian and Lee to eat the cake they baked. Big cake - little cake --- they are not that different than anyone else. And don't be worrying, ---- they will live very comfortably for the rest of their lives no matter how this whole thing unfolds.

Yes hold the CFIA to the coals for a while, I still feel they need a shake up and can't wait for the BSE class action to put them in thier place.

[ASRG]

From the very start the CFIA came across like the keystone cops, bungling and stumbling. Their boss Gerry Ritz hid out in the bunker only to emerge to say something stupid and then jumped back into the bunker!
If these government clowns don't get their act together pretty quick Lakeside might be forced to shut the doors permanently.

[cpallett]

Randall my brother, I'm not worrying about NB, that's for sure. I'm worrying about the next guy. I'm also worrying about the long-term effects on the Canadian cattle industry.

With Maple Leaf and now XL Lakeside the CFIA has demonstrated that their idea of crisis management is to run around like a chicken with their head cut off. This level of incompetence is not acceptable.

[rkaiser]

Sheri, Sheri --- domestic cattle industry slides off a cliff? Come on.

Fear always involves a human agenda.

Which humans are you trying to agendize with that kind of fear? LOL

This is all about opportunity to correct a cattle industry that has been laying at the bottom of that cliff since BSE. An industry that will never be sustainable as long as we keep propping up the status quo.

OLIGOPOLISTIC CONTROL -- is that a word Cameron?

We can not let CFIA off the hook but yours truly will never support any action other than bulldozing the plant at Brooks.