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    Did You Know? In Saskatchewan the food and beverage industry is the largest manufacturing sector with annual sales of about $2 billion with shipments in 2006 totalling over $2.3 billion. Livestock Eggs Overview
2002 Saskatchewan egg producers are part of a large national network made up of egg farmers, food processors and provincial egg marketing boards. There are about 1,200 regulated egg producers in Canada with the typical producer owning 17,000 hens. There are also smaller, unregulated egg farms. Only graded eggs may be sold at the retail level. Producers sell their eggs to grading stations that are registered and inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The value of 2000 sales from the entire Canadian egg processing industry is estimated at $100 million, a 29 per cent increase from 1997. This does not include the value of biochemicals extracted from eggs for use in pharmaceuticals.The Canadian egg industry is dominated by Quebec and Ontario, who combined produce more than half the eggs in Canada. (Source: "Canada's Egg Industry", Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, October 2001) There are over 6.5 billion eggs produced in Canada each year by more than 24 million laying hens. Eighty-two per cent of eggs are sold as table eggs. The remaining 18 per cent are processed into liquid, frozen or dried form. Egg processing includes the production of whole egg, albumen and egg yolks in frozen, dried or liquid form. Processed eggs are used in the manufacturing of many foods including mayonnaise, noodles and baked goods. They are also used to make other items such as shampoo, pet foods and adhesives. Key sector trendsNew growth has been seen in value-added eggs. Sales of packaged and refrigerated liquid eggs rose 42 per cent to $8 million in 2001 according to ACNielsen. Liquid eggs appeal to consumers that value their convenience. Sales are projected to grow into the future as product availability improves and processors increase their promotional efforts. The chairman of the Canadian Egg Marketing Council noted that, "Not only did sales volume rise three per cent in 2001 but sales dollars rose nine per cent indicating that Canadians are trading up to value-added eggs...brown eggs, Omega-3 eggs and organic eggs are doing very well." (Source: "Moving the Milk", Food In Canada, April 2002) Saskatchewan sectorIn 2001, Saskatchewan produced eggs from approximately one million layers. Currently, Saskatchewan processes approximately 4.1 per cent of all of the table eggs processed in Canada. There were 67 producers registered with the Egg Board in 2002, producing eggs from approximately 833 thousand chickens. The majority of the eggs in Saskatchewan are graded in Saskatoon. One large-scale processor sorts and grades 95 per cent of the province's egg production. Over the past thirteen years, the processor has experienced significant growth due in large part to consolidation in the industry. The number of employees has increased by 23 per cent in the last three years, growing from 26 in 1999 to 32 in 2002. Additionally, total sales have increased by 175 per cent in the past 10 years. The processor was the first egg processing company in Canada to qualify for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification. To facilitate continued growth and market penetration the company is currently investigating a number of expansion opportunities. In addition, 23 small-scale processors provide graded product to smaller local markets. For the most part, these processors are located on-farm with their grading facility near their production. Saskatchewan currently has quota for 200,000 layers for the Eggs for Processing Program, a program that allows for the development of additional layers for the increasing size of the egg-processing sector. |
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