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There are 6 turkey producers in the province plus many on a smaller scale
who in total produce approximately 200,000 kg (eviscerated) of turkey.
Newfoundland does not participate in the National Supply Management
System for turkeys; therefore, production quotas are not required here.
The main market is at Thanksgiving and Christmas when demand for fresh
product is high.
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There are many opportunities in this province including:
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With no quota, individuals are free to produce at their own level.
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The fresh market at Thanksgiving and Christmas commands relatively premium
price and is expanding as quality becomes recognized.
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The introduction of Provincial Meat Inspection has allowed several growers to
establish their own abattoirs and provide inspected product for direct and retail sales.
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Consumer reaction to the high quality of local turkey has been very favorable and growers
are increasing their market share.
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The retail market is responding well to further processing of meat. Several growers are branching into cut-up turkey carcasses as well as developing various other turkey meat products.
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The industry also faces many challenges:
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The high cost of imported feed grains must be addressed.
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The fresh market at Thanksgiving and Christmas commands relatively premium
price and is expanding as quality becomes recognized.
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The relative premium price at holiday time is on a limited volume, because general retail
prices are very low at that time.
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In order to maintain price, sales are often direct to consumer,
which lowers exposure to the market.
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Turkey is most often viewed as a frozen product, and therefore consumers are
exposed to product from many outside competitors.
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With higher cost of production, it can be expected that production will
continue to be supplementary to other ventures.
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