Country Ribbon has received a significant injection of government cash toward modernizing machinery to increase productivity, expand markets, and reduce its environmental footprint.
The federal and provincial governments announced more than $8 million yesterday aimed at purchasing air-chill technology and secondary processing equipment for the poultry producer.
Air-chilling will replace the water-chilling process, thus reducing the amount of water required by about four million gallons a year.
Yesterday’s announcement was held outside at Country Ribbon’s farm near Cochrane Pond in chilly, windy and drizzly conditions, which was not lost on company president and CEO Ian MacKinnon during his remarks.
He chalked up his trouble pronouncing “modernization” to the fact that his lips were froze.
The province is putting up $800,000 through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which is funded under its Agriculture Processing and Value-Added Program.
Country Ribbon, which employs almost 300 people, is the province’s only integrated chicken processor, producing enough poultry to meet 100 per cent of the demand in Newfoundland and Labrador.
