The head of an association representing Quebec chicken producers says it is unacceptable that one million chickens have been euthanized during an extended labour dispute at a slaughterhouse near Quebec City.

The Exceldor co-operative closed its slaughterhouse in St-Ans猫lme, Que., south of the provincial capital, on May 23 due to a strike, leaving few options for chicken producers.

Pierre-Luc Leblanc, president of Les 脡leveurs de Volailles du Qu茅bec B次元官网网址� the provinceB次元官网网址檚 association of chicken producers B次元官网网址� said heB次元官网网址檚 never received as many calls and messages from members as in the past few weeks, unsure of how to handle the situation.

B次元官网网址淧eople are telling me they are offended, mad and sad,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not an easy situation because thereB次元官网网址檚 not a lot of solutions for us.B次元官网网址�

LeblancB次元官网网址檚 association represents more than 700 producers, mostly family-run businesses, who operate within strict guidelines.

B次元官网网址淭here are rules for producers: when you transport the chickens, you are allowed to have only one per cent rate mortality. If you go beyond that, you can get a fine for animal cruelty,B次元官网网址� Leblanc said. B次元官网网址淏ut right now, we are allowing that many chickens to be killed.B次元官网网址�

Both the union and the company have confirmed the one million discarded chickens would have provided up to four million meals.

The union said the strike has forced Quebec producers to send euthanized chickens either to waste sites or to a rendering plant, where they can be transformed into products not for human consumption.

Exceldor spokesman Jordan Ouellet said the company tried to send as many chickens as possible to other slaughterhouses in Quebec or Ontario.

B次元官网网址淭he problem is that at one point, after 35 days, when chickens reach a certain weight, they are ready to be transformed,B次元官网网址� Ouellet said. B次元官网网址淏ut beyond that, they continue to grow and infrastructures are not made for those sizes.B次元官网网址�

Premier Fran莽ois Legault described the situation in a Facebook post on Wednesday as a B次元官网网址渟hame that needs to stop.B次元官网网址�

Legault urged both sides to take up the province on its offer of an arbitrator to help resolve the matter, noting that the waste amounts to 13 per cent of the provinceB次元官网网址檚 chicken production being thrown in the garbage.

B次元官网网址淲orkers have the right to strike and employers have the right to lockout. But we shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be allowed to waste huge amounts of food so stupidly. ItB次元官网网址檚 indecent,B次元官网网址� Legault said.

The company and the union representing its striking employees continued talks Thursday.

Exceldor welcomed QuebecB次元官网网址檚 offer, first made Tuesday by Labour Minister Jean Boulet, but the union has refused, saying it would prefer to continue with negotiations with a conciliator rather than have a third party impose a collective agreement.

Workers at the slaughterhouse have been without a contract since July 2020 and have been on strike for more than three weeks, with salaries and working conditions key sticking points.

B次元官网网址淲e have to give the conciliation process a chance,B次元官网网址� said Roxane Larouche, spokeswoman for the United Food and Commercial Workers union. B次元官网网址淥f course, we are sensitive to food waste, there is no one who wants that. But it is the employerB次元官网网址檚 responsibility.B次元官网网址�

Boulet agreed in an interview Thursday that the large rate of euthanasia and food waste was making the situation even more urgent, but was confident both sides understand the human and social repercussions and hoped they will soon find common ground.

B次元官网网址擵irginie Ann, The Canadian Press