The North American Lamb Company

Canada Gold Beef Ltd, owners of the Innisfail Alberta based SunGold Specialty Meats Ltd. (SunGold) and the Canada Gold Lamb Lot near Iron Springs Alberta, wish to announce the merger of their lamb operations with that of Fresh Canada Meats Ltd, the majority shareholder of Manitoba based Canada Sheep and Lamb Farms Ltd. Fresh Canada Meats is a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary of Integrated Foods Ltd, an integrated lamb producer and processor in New Zealand.

The newly merged entity, North American Lamb Company Ltd (NALC), will control lamb production and marketing for the group encompassing genetics, breeding, finishing, processing and sales. This merger is designed to form a truly Canadian integrated lamb supply chain to provide premium lamb products to domestic and international markets with year-round consistent supply and specification.

Inconsistency has plagued the Canadian sheep industry for as long as it has existed. Growing the lamb product demand in a diverse and growing market such as North America requires a consistent and reliable supply of sufficient scale to allow solid programs to be built with retail and food service partners. NALC is all about bringing together a disciplined, significant and resilient supply chain to benefit such retail and food service customers and ultimately the consumer through recognized branded product lines.

Canada Sheep and Lamb Farms is one of the largest sheep farming operations in North America producing lambs year-round from a breeding flock currently exceeding 35,000 ewes and ewe lambs and soon growing to some 50,000 plus head. This farming system is designed to produce significant numbers of lambs for finishing to market specification at the Canada Gold Lamb Lot.

The Canada Gold Lamb Lot is a state of the art, one of a kind lamb feeding operation in the heart of Southern Alberta cattle feeding country with a licenced one-time capacity of 50,000 lambs. This lamb feeding facility has scope to finish some 200,000 market lambs per year.

SunGold is Canada’s largest federal lamb processing plant. Significant investments have been completed across many areas making it one of the premier lamb processing plants in North America. The plant utilizes many of the latest technologies in processing and value-added production and ships products domestically and around the world to a diverse set of customers.

The merger does not preclude NALC working with both established and new entrant lamb producers as well as other entities who wish to be involved in a unique lamb supply and value chain that is able to provide sustainable opportunities for those capable of disciplined business relationships.

It is an exciting time for NALC and the Canadian sheep industry. The merger is a natural evolution in the maturity of the Canadian lamb industry that has, in the past, suffered from fragmentation and uncertainty. The industry can now aspire to be one that is truly customer driven and achieve sustainable, long term future growth.

What does this mean for producers?
NALC is committed to create a controlled supply and value chain for North America to meet the disciplines of delivery in full, on time and in specification. This business model creates many opportunities for forward thinking producers to both specialise and scale up their lamb operations to create a sustainable future for themselves.

What does this mean for customers and consumers?
NALC is driven by the market need for a Canadian based year-round supply of consistent lamb products. For retail and foodservice customers this means they will be able to work directly with NALC on desired specifications and products including tailored genetics and lamb production programs. For the first time ever, Canadian retailers and foodservice companies will be able to get the volume of Canadian lamb they want, when they need it and at the specifications they require.

For further information please contact:
Gary Alexander
President & CEO
North American Lamb Company Ltd
855-493-6251
g.alexander@nalcgroup.com

Miles Kliner
General Manager
Sungold Specialty Meats Ltd
403-350-0067
miles.kliner@sungoldmeats.com