About Alberta Chicken Producers

Our Story

Alberta Chicken Producers is a farmer-run, not-for-profit marketing board that regulates broiler chicken production in Alberta.

Alberta Chicken Producers is comprised of 250 regulated chicken producers.

 All registered producers must follow national food safety and animal care programs, which are audited annually by third party auditors; and, they must maintain their certification under these programs as a condition of their licenses to produce chicken.

Alberta Chicken Producers license and register all producers, hatcheries and processors engaged in the production of regulated product in Alberta.

In addition to regulated producers, Alberta also provides an exemption limit of 2,000 chickens per year for individuals to raise and market chicken for the purposes of personal consumption, sale from farm gate, or sale at farmers’ markets within Alberta.

The 2,000 exemption is the highest in Canada; and Alberta Chicken Producers champions the size of the Alberta exemption limit nationally because it offers opportunity for producers to gain experience in the production of chicken and enter the industry.

Exempt chicken production is marketed through channels that are not competition for the regulated producers. We value the exempt sector and want to work with these producers, where and as appropriate, to ensure they are set up for success in complying with the regulations.

Alberta Chicken Producers also issues a Communal Group Quota to communal groups that wish to grow more than the 2,000 exemption. Communal groups wishing to access this production are permitted to grow up to 6,000 chickens annually for the purposes of personal consumption, sale from farm gate or sale at farmers’ markets within Alberta.  There are currently 74 communal quota holders in Alberta.

 Growth:

Despite what some critics may say, Alberta’s chicken industry creates opportunities for new entrants. Our industry is growing in terms of the number of producers and the volume of product produced, as well as in the number of farm, hatchery and processing operations.

Producers:

  • Ten years ago, there were just under 230 chicken producers in Alberta; today there are 250.
  • In the last five years (2014-2018) Alberta’s chicken sector averaged 12 new chicken producers per year, not including family transfers.
  • Many new producers are first generation, and the majority of our producer base is a younger demographic, between the ages of 18-49.

Production:

  • In addition to a growing producer base, Alberta’s total chicken production has and continues to experience robust growth.
  • In 2018, Alberta’s total chicken production increased by 6.65% over 2017; and Alberta’s combined growth over the last 5 years (2014-2018) has been 31.7% - an average of 6.3% per year.

Investments & Innovation:

  • In the past three years alone, 45 new chicken barns and 17 new breeder barns have been built in Alberta, and many producers have invested into innovative technologies and equipment in their current facilities. 15 new chicken barns and 2 new breeder barns are currently under construction and are planned to commence operation in 2019.

Our farmers are committed to the care of their birds and to providing consumers with safe, high- quality chicken. Canada has some of the highest food safety standards in the world. In fact, 100% of our farms are audited and certified annually under On-Farm Food Safety and Animal Care Programs. By purchasing fresh chicken, you are supporting local farmers who are committed to safe, high-quality chicken. Our farmers are consumers as well.

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Directors & Staff

2024 Board of Directors

2

David Hyink

Chair
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Tara deVries

Vice Chair
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Rob Van Diemen

Director
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Wes Nanninga

Director
Ross Bezovie

Ross Bezovie

Director
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2024 Producer Representatives

Byron Ference

Calgary South Rep

Anke Wierenga 

Calgary to Lacombe Rep

Arjan Spelt

Lacombe to Leduc

Hinke Therrien

Leduc North
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Administration Staff

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Geoff Brown

Executive Director

Geoff oversees operations and serves the Board of Directors. He implements and administers the Board’s Regulations and Policies, and executes the strategic priorities of the Board.

Phone: 780-488-2281

Jasmine Szoke

Office Administration & Project Assistant

The Office Administration & Project Assistant contributes to the efficiency of the day-to-day operations of the Alberta Chicken Producers office and delivery of service to producers, supports the work of the Management Team, Staff, Board Directors; and supports ACP’s public-facing communications as directed.

Vera Ward

Office Manager
 

Vera manages all personnel and office requirements; provides support to the Executive Director; and oversees the administration of Board meetings and documentation. She also serves as coordinator of the Alberta Poultry Industry Emergency Management Team, and represents our organization on the Condo Board.

Maria Leslie

Manager of Public Affairs & Strategic Partnerships
 

The Manager of Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships is responsible for the development and execution of ACP’s marketing, internal/external/crisis communications, corporate social responsibility and government relations strategies.

Maria also serves as the Information Officer for the Alberta Poultry Industry Emergency Management Team. 

Robert Renema

Producer Programs & Research Manager
 

Dr. Robert Renema oversees our team of field Auditors and coordinates the On-Farm Food Safety and Animal Care Programs. He serves as data management coordinator for the Emergency Response Team, and is coordinator of the Research Committee.

Ashley Ward

Producer Programs Coordinator

The Producer Programs Coordinator is responsible for supporting the Producer Programs Manager in administering the On-Farm Food Safety Assurance and Animal Care Programs, supporting ACP’s research and technology transfer, developing practical on-farm tools and resources for producers, supporting the APIEMT, and liaising with industry stakeholders, academia and government on food safety, animal health, and disease management.

Laurie Power

Producer Services Coordinator
 

Laurie is our primary contact for producers. She updates and maintains the Grower Program, processes quota lease and reallocation (sale) requests, and manages weekly reports for Marketing and Placements by working with producers, hatcheries, and processors.

Karen Miller

Business & Market Analyst
 

Karen performs statistical analysis, oversees the Grower Program, updates and communicates market information, prepares reports to support the Board and Committees, and liaises with the market information team at Chicken Farmers of Canada.

Events

 

Vision & Mission

Vision:

Alberta’s chicken sector is collaborating to grow, create shared value and ensure chicken is consumers’ preferred and trusted protein.

Mission:

Serve Alberta’s chicken producers by collaborating with key stakeholders to:

  • Create a thriving environment for sustainable chicken production.
  • Encourage a competitive, consumer-focused value chain.

2024 Strategic Priorities

  1. Championing a strong, effective, unified Value Chain
  2. Responding to a dynamic environment
  3. Building public trust and sentiment

Standards of Leadership:

  •  Value people
  •  Drive best practices
  •  Strive for continuous improvement
  •  Be a good corporate citizen; behave fairly and legally
  •  Be open and transparent
  •  Meaningfully engage producers, sector partners and consumers
  •  Be proactive, positive, and future-focused
  •  Actively create opportunities to improve and innovate within the sector
  •  Be effective and efficient

Goals:

  1. Sustainably grow the chicken market served by Alberta producers.
  2. Champion a culture of continuous improvement and commitment to best practices across the value chain.
  3. Capture opportunities and work collaboratively with sector partners.
  4. Proactively build and maintain public trust in Alberta’s chicken sector, particularly among newcomers.
  5. Ensure all value chain participants are engaged and proudly contributing towards the success of the Alberta chicken sector.
  6. Be a valuable resource to Alberta producers and sector partners, and a recognized innovator within the Canadian sector.
  7. Be an innovative leader in the Canadian context.

Key Success Factors:

  • Collaboration 
  • Strategic Focus 
  • Continuous Improvement/Innovation
  • Organizational Effectiveness 
  • Adaptability 

Key Performance Indicators:

  1. Sustainable Growth Metrics. 
  2. Flock Health and Management Metrics. 
  3. Consumer Confidence. 
  4. Stakeholder Satisfaction (Producers and Industry Partners). 
  5. Regulatory Metrics. 
  6. Strategic Alignment. 
  7. Board Effectiveness. 
  8. Financial Metrics. 

Strategic Plan Updated December 2023

Commitment to Excellence

Strong Stakeholder Relationships

Working closely with our industry partners, we can adapt to changes in the market and address industry issues efficiently and effectively.

Emergency Preparedness

Alberta’s poultry industry has taken a lead in developing a comprehensive Emergency Response Plan. Each registered chicken Producer in Alberta has a copy of the Plan, and the plan is tested through Table-Top exercises annually.

100 % On-Farm Food Safety Certification

Mandatory requirement of our registered Producers’ licenses to market chicken. All registered chicken producers are certified annually under this third-party audited program.

Biosecurity

Biosecurity is a mandatory component of the On-Farm Food Safety program, and best-practices are incorporated into our Producer Emergency Preparedness Plan.

100 % Animal Care Certification

Mandatory requirement of our registered Producers’ licenses to market chicken. All registered chicken producers are certified annually under this third-party audited program.

Commitment to Research

The Alberta chicken industry is strongly committed to Research. We support, in cooperation with the other feather Boards, the infrastructure of the Poultry Research Centre. Alberta Chicken Producers have contributed $900,000 towards the ‘capital fund’ for the Alberta Chicken Producers Poultry Technology Centre building located at the University of Alberta. In addition, Alberta Chicken Producers annually budgets $125,000 to be allocated to the Poultry Research Centre and research projects at the Funding Consortium table.

Annual Reports

Click to View Reports (PDF Format)

Careers

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Current Openings:

 

Contact Us

Contact Information

2518 Ellwood Drive SW
Edmonton, AB T6X 0A9

Telephone: 780-488-2125

Toll-free: 1-877-822-4425

Fax: 780-488-3570

 

Office Hours

8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Closed between 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. for lunch.