The Rural Voice, 2002-07, Page 16The West Perth Packers plant is located in the
south-east corner of Mitchell, conveniently next to
the town's sewage treatment plant.
Leading the way
West Perth Packers employs North America's most modern
technology in its new Mitchell packing plant
Story and photos by Keith Roulston
Employing the latest in technology imported from
Denmark and Germany, West Perth Packers' new
plant in Mitchell will be the most modern in North
America when it starts processing hogs in early July.
The plant, with workers still busily installing equipment,
was officially opened June 22 before 300 selected guests,
including Ontario Minister of Agriculture and 1-ood Helen
Johns.
From the moment hogs enter the plant, explained
Miriam Terpstra, a partner with Larry and Glenn Tulpin in
the plant, they will be treated differently than in other
Canadian packing plants in a system designed to produce
the least stress possible in hogs and the highest quality
meat for consumers.
Technology changes so quickly, explained her husband
Joe of Acre T Farms which will provide the bulk of the
plant's pigs, that there was no sense in not going with the
most modern equipment available.
Danish equipment will be used for the animal handling
part of the plant. From holding pens the pigs are moved to
an automated, slow-moving push gate which eases them
forward toward the stunning area.
The push gates not only are Tess stressful to the hogs,
explained Ulrich Haumann of Butina ApS, the Danish
equipment supplier, but also rids carcasses of marks
sometimes made by electric prods used by handlers in
12 THE RURAL VOICE
Guests hear about the German -engineered machine
which uses paddles to remove the hair from the skins of
the carcasses.