Meat processing company Olymel to cut 340 jobs at plant in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.

Meat processing company Olymel announced it will cut 340 jobs at its plant in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.

Olymel said the decision stems from a plan to cease pork butt boning operations at the facility, though 70 positions will be spared as lard production rendering and frozen product storage will be maintained on site.

Affected employees are being given advance notice as deboning activities are scheduled to continue until September 2017.

The company employs nearly 11,000 people, including more than 8,000 in Quebec, and also has facilities in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

Olymel exports nearly a third of its total annual sales of $3 billion, mainly to the United States, Japan and Australia, as well as over 65 other countries.