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Olymel has announced the closure of two pork processing facilities in Quebec, with the loss of 170 jobs. The sites – in Blainville and Laval – produce hams, pâtés and deli meats marketed under various brands, most of which will be retained with manufacturing handled by other Olymel facilities. The date for the cessation of operations has been set for 28 April. The Blainville and Laval facilities have 134 and 36 employees, respectively. The company says that the decision to close the sites is aimed at optimising operations and that it will offer opportunities for workers to move to other Olymel locations. “The decision to close our two processing plants in Blainville and Laval is part of the reorganisation that began more than a year ago and is due to the ability of other facilities to produce the same products and therefore achieve savings and efficiencies,” said Yanick Gervais, president and CEO of Olymel. “I know that this is a difficult decision for the affected employees, but I want to reiterate our firm commitment to relocate any who wish to do so in our other Olymel facilities. “I believe that today’s announcement should enable us to achieve our operational optimisation objectives more rapidly in the context of unfavourable economic conditions, with rising raw material costs, labour shortages and the weakness of certain markets all affecting the company's profitability.”