In Brandon, to supply the Japan market, our selection process begins at the farm. Maple Leaf grows a substantial portion of our own pigs through Maple Leaf Agri-Farms and have developed long term contracts with our producer partners to ensure consistent supply for many years into the future.
These farms, located in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which is central Canada near our processing facilities, are largely supplying LWD hogs to the Brandon Plant. LWD genetics provide excellent marbling and meat quality, which suits the Japanese specification well.
To ensure that we are continuously improving, the Brandon procurement team provides each producer a monthly scorecard. This scorecard lets the producer know how well they are performing. Among other things, the scorecard measures trailer and hog cleanliness, the driver’s hog handling effectiveness, and a measure of meat quality. These measures are benchmarked against other producers to ensure Maple Leaf remains among the best in class.