LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – The Yuan Yi hog processing plant is going to be built in Lethbridge, says mayor David Carpenter, dismissing rumors its Taiwanese owners are pulling out due to financial or community pressures.
The Yuan Yi Agriculture and Livestock Enterprise Co. Ltd. has some concerns which company officials discussed with Carpenter during his recent visit to Taiwan.
In a teleconference call from Taiwan Feb. 13, Carpenter said company officials will be in Lethbridge next month for further discussions.
“There isn’t a substantive change in anybody’s position to this point,” he said.
Read Also
Charges laid after cattle theft
Saskatchewan RCMP lay two charges against a man after six cattle went missing.
He toured Yuan Yi hog and vegetable processing facilities in Taiwan and said the facilities were sanitary and exceeded standards demanded in Alberta.
However, the company questioned several things, said Carpenter.
It is concerned about construction delays because of appeals, which have no foreseeable date for resolution.
“They feel it would be imprudent to start construction until the appeals process is completed,” said the mayor.
Company officials told Carpenter they were worried about statements by plant opponents that their appeals were meant to delay construction. They are also concerned about increasing construction costs.
Yuan Yi has recently purchased a 10 percent interest in an Australian hog plant but still plans to build a plant offshore.
Rumors that the company might pull out because of the Asian financial crisis were also dispelled by the mayor.
“They took me aside and gave me a course in economics. The Asian financial crisis has absolutely zero impact,” he said.
The company has already purchased its equipment for the plant and left it in storage. It has been approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
In addition, Yuan Yi is borrowing from Canadian banks for additional construction funds.
“Currency fluctuations will have some affect on the price of a pound of pork but it isn’t going to be that significant. There is still a large demand for pork,” Carpenter said.
While the mayor was in Taiwan the Alberta environmental appeal board was hearing submissions from 13 concerned citizens who described how the plant might adversely affect them.
