XL Foods Beef Plant Recalls 800 Workers

Oct 15, 2012

Brooks Plant Recalls Workers to Help Canadian Food Inspection Agency Review

XL Foods Inc. announced that they have issued recall notices to 800 employees to assist with the review process being conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). This announcement comes after the plant had decided to temporarily lay off 2,000 workers at the plant. Following that announcement, the CFIA responded saying that the layoffs would impede CFIA’s inspector’s ability to continue a full examination of the meat processing plant.

“At this time, we are unable to complete our assessment,” the statement said.

The XL plant fired back at CFIA saying that the company had to lay off employees because the agency couldn’t indicate when they would be getting their licence reinstated. The company received permission from the agency last Thursday to process the remaining 5,100 carcasses in the plant that tested negative for E. coli. The meat is under the detention of CFIA authorities and cannot leave the plant until proper measures have been affectively managed. The agency announced yesterday, that some of the meat that was under detention will be destroyed and that none of the meat would enter the food system.

The United Food Commercial Workers 401 is calling for a public inquiry into the largest E. coli food outbreak in Canadian history.

Video: Jim Smalley: The Voice That Defined Saskatchewan Agriculture Journalism | CKRM 100th Anniversary

Our next 620 CKRM Icon is Jim Smalley. Jim reflects on his remarkable career, from his early days in Ontario and his first steps into news, to his move west and his lasting impact on Saskatchewan’s airwaves.

After joining CKRM in 1982, Jim spent more than four decades as one of the province’s most trusted and recognizable voices. Jim defined agricultural journalism — not just in Saskatchewan, but across Canada. His commitment to telling the stories of farmers, rural communities, and the people behind the headlines set the standard. Now retired from the newsroom that proudly bears his name, Jim shares memorable stories from his time on air. A broadcaster, a storyteller, and a true voice of Saskatchewan — Jim Smalley’s legacy continues to resonate at CKRM and beyond.