WHEREAS XL Foods Inc. is the only federally inspected cattle slaughter plant in Saskatchewan; and

WHEREAS the XL plant in Moose Jaw was closed by decision of its parent company;

BE IT RESOLVED that government regulators force the sale of the XL plant to ensure competition for the sale/slaughter of cattle in the province.

Response from Honourable Bob Bjornerud, Minister of Agriculture:

I was disappointed when the owners of the XL Beef Plant in Moose Jaw announced its closure in August 2010.

There are no acts or regulations that would allow the Ministry of Agriculture to force a sale of the XL Beef plant. Ministry officials have contacted the Competition Bureau of Canada. Based on those discussions, at this time it does not appear that the Competition Bureau has any issues with the decision taken by the owners of the XL Beef plant in Moose Jaw.

I have instructed my Ministry to examine the implications of this decision on the provinces cattle industry and to explore options to reduce the impact of the plant closure on cattle producers.