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Abbotsford’s Shawn Heppell plans to produce 1.2 million kilograms each of turkey and chicken this year. Photo: Rob Kruyt

Canadian Turkey consumption shifts to more processed-meat products

Country’s October Thanksgiving remains peak season for the province’s turkey growers

BC’s turkey growers have much to be thankful for as their peak season approaches.

Not only do they have a marketing board that limits production and guarantees prices for the growers but they’re also increasingly blessed with year-round stability thanks to processed turkey products becoming an increasing staple in consumers’ grocery carts.

Canadian turkey production is slated to be 151 million kilograms in the 2016 quota year that ends in May 2017. That’s up about 6.3 per cent, or about nine million kilograms since 2009.

The big shift that is going on, however, is the marketplace move to more processed turkey compared with sales for whole birds.

Whole bird production has fallen by 10.8 million kilograms since 2006 while processed turkey production has increased by 20 million kilograms, said BC Turkey Farmers spokesman Michel Benoit.

Although ground turkey, sliced turkey and other forms of processed turkey meat are increasingly popular, the lead-up to Thanksgiving and Christmas remains the busiest time of year, he added.

“There is absolute maximum production in the plants in early October and in December,” Benoit said.

“Every farmer will be shipping near Christmas and Thanksgiving and then they will spread the rest of their flock over the other 50 weeks of the year.”

While those holidays are associated with oven-roasted whole birds, Benoit said processed turkey has been making headway as more holiday functions include processed turkey in canapés or on luncheon meat trays.

The largest surge in production has been for specialty turkey, which is produced with vegetarian feed and without antibiotics.

Benoit said sales for that meat surged more than 68 per cent to 1.72 million kilograms between 2013 and 2016.

Some conventional turkey farmers have also reduced antibiotics use, but they commonly add animal protein to turkey feed so the birds can bulk up faster.

“There’s a whole foodie culture out there now and there are people who are willing to pay more for a specialty product than the run-of-the-mill turkey,” said Edwards Turkey Farm Ltd. principal Derek Edwards.

He is selling about 45,000 kilograms of turkey this year to JD Farms Specialty Turkey, which either sells the meat at a retail store at the company’s Langley farm or distributes it to grocers such as Whole Foods Market and Choices Markets.

Specialty turkey costs at least 15 per cent more than its conventional counterpart and Edwards said the profit margin can also be higher.

A newer product that JD Farms is experimenting with is turkey that is raised without any genetically modified organisms (GMO).

“Our GMO-free heirloom bronze turkey is a black turkey and is really premium – the best of the best,” said Jason Froese, who is JD Farms’ general manager.

Not all turkey farmers are excited about their sector’s prospects.

Mountain View Poultry owner Shawn Heppell has been producing about 1.2 million kilograms each of two supply-managed meats: turkey and chicken.

He told Business in Vancouver that he recently acquired an extra 900,000 kilograms of chicken quota from the widow of a deceased farmer.

Heppell has no interest in increasing his turkey quota because he sees more demand for chicken.

“It’s because of the demographics and who’s immigrating to Canada,” he said, referring to the increased Asian population moving to BC.

“There’s just more future in chicken consumption. It’s the reality of what the makeup of the country is.”

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