Andrew McClelland
The Advocate
The Lucyporc cutting facility in Yamachiche just west of Trois-Rivières will close its doors for good on Nov. 17, leaving 74 workers out of work.
The announcement was made by parent company Viandes Robitaille in early October. The Lucyporc factory specialized in preparing the “Nagano” pork line — Quebec-raised-and-butchered pork designed specifically for the Japanese market. According to Viandes Robitaille plant manager Carl Robitaille, the decision to cease operations was based on currency inflation in the destination markets.
“The very difficult decision to close the plant comes from the reduction in demand for pork products for export,” said Robitaille. “We just have to look at the price of the yen. The ability of the Japanese to pay a good price is more difficult.”
While Viandes Robitaille said the Lucyporc facility was doing well, the age of the building — and the fact that its equipment is more than 30 years old — meant its closure was a necessary choice.
Quebec pork giant Olymel has a variety of facilities in the Trois-Rivières region, including those operated through partnerships with groups like Viandes Robitaille. Workers from the Lucyporc plant will be well-positioned to find employment at “Olymel de Yamachiche.”
“From a workforce and operations perspective, Olymel de Yamachiche is able to fully serve the Japanese market with Olymel and Oly-Robi products,” says Richard Vigneault, Olymel’s corporate communications manager. “Oly-Robi employees from the former factory will be able, given their experience, to apply for a position in the meat sector at Olymel.”
Included in that group are approximately 50 temporary foreign workers, some of whom have been in the country for a little over a year and are still in training.
Troubled times
The Lucyporc factory has shifted operations and parent companies a few times in recent years. In 2015, the facility merged operations with provincial pork giant, Olymel. In 2019, all employees were transferred to the nearby “Atrahan Transformation” processor. Then, in October 2021, Viandes Robitaille formed a partnership with Olymel, resulting in the reopening of the Lucyporc building.
The Lucyporc closure follows the announcement of another in July of the closure of the Olymel factory in Vallée-Jonction, in the Beauce region. That plant is scheduled to close on Dec. 22. In that case, an additional 50 foreign workers will be transferred from Beauce to Yamachiche, more than 200 kilometres away.
“What we want is for these workers to rediscover the pleasure of working with us, but in another region,” said Olymel vice-president Paul Beauchamp.
The many plant closures and workforce transfers point to the global pork crisis resulting from the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising input costs and a drop in demand. Olymel claims it has lost $400 million in the past two years alone.
In February, the company also announced the closure of processing plants in Blainville and Laval. And in November, it announced the closure of a factory on St. Jacques Street in St. Hyacinthe. Olymel has remaining facilities in Yamachiche, in Ange-Gardien (Montérégie region), and St. Esprit, in Lanaudière.
While Viandes Robitaille’s Lucyporc building will close Nov. 17, the slaughterhouse in Yamachiche will remain open.
Cutline: The Lucyporc pork processing plant operated by Viandes Robitaille in Yamachiche will close Nov. 17, eliminating 74 jobs, the company announced in early October.