Canada's chicken industry

... at a glance

• Chicken Farmers of Canada is the national organization responsible for the production and marketing of chicken in Canada.
• Canadian chicken production generated $4.1 billion in 2023, contributing 4.1% of cash receipts from agricultural operations in Canada.
• Overall, in 2023, the 2,853 regulated chicken producers in Canada produced 1.4 billion kilograms of chicken (eviscerated weight), 62% of which was produced in Ontario and Quebec.
• Canada also counted over 77 chicken primary processing establishments, 40 of which are federally inspected, along with many further processors who depend on supply of chicken for a portion of their business.
• Chicken remained the most consumed animal meat protein in Canada in 2023 with a per capita disappearance of 35.2 kilograms, slightly lower than the 2022 level.
• Canadian chicken production is supplemented by imports subject to import controls such as Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQ’s), policies pertaining to supplemental imports, and import to re-export programs.
• According to Statistics Canada, chicken meat and meat products imports in 2023 totalled 198.5 million kilograms, valued at $813 million, mostly originating from the United States, followed by Brazil and Thailand.
• That same year, a total of 112.8 million kilograms of chicken meat and meat products, valued at $769 million, were exported to over 45 countries, with the largest importers being the United States, the Philippines, and Ghana.

Statistics

• Condemnations
• Industry Indicators
• Imports and Exports
• Inter-provincial Movements
• Prices
• Production
• Slaughter
• Storage Stocks

Publications

• Codes of practice for the care and handling of farm animals - Chickens, turkeys and breeders from hatchery to processing plant
• Codes of practice for the care and handling of farm animals - Poultry - layers
• Managing a small poultry flock
• Raising chicken and turkey broilers in Canada