Chicken Production Quotas Apr–Jun 2021

Summary#

The final regulations titled Regulations Amending the Canadian Chicken Marketing Quota Regulations: SOR/2021-53 set the Canada-wide limits on how much chicken can be produced and marketed for the period April 11, 2021 to June 5, 2021 (period A‑169). The change replaces the previous schedule and fixes per‑province production, market development, and specialty quota amounts, with a national total of 256,820,095 kg (production), 8,979,124 kg (market development) and 2,038,172 kg (specialty).

What it does#

• Replaces the quota schedule in the Canadian Chicken Marketing Quota Regulations with new limits for period A‑169 (beginning April 11, 2021 and ending June 5, 2021).
• Lists per‑province limits in live weight (kg) for:
  • Production subject to federal and provincial quotas.
  • Production subject to federal and provincial market development quotas.
  • Production subject to federal and provincial specialty chicken quotas.
• Key totals set by the schedule:
  • Production (quota): 256,820,095 kg
  • Market development quota: 8,979,124 kg
  • Specialty quota: 2,038,172 kg
• Province-by-province limits (production / market development / specialty, all in kg):
  • Ontario — 86,496,510 / 1,522,000 / 889,950
  • Quebec — 68,627,830 / 3,976,467 / 0
  • Nova Scotia — 8,692,570 / 0 / 0
  • New Brunswick — 7,026,963 / 0 / 0
  • Manitoba — 10,676,633 / 435,000 / 0
  • British Columbia — 36,335,287 / 1,545,657 / 1,148,222
  • Prince Edward Island — 925,997 / 0 / 0
  • Saskatchewan — 8,964,431 / 1,000,000 / 0
  • Alberta — 25,682,864 / 500,000 / 0
  • Newfoundland and Labrador — 3,391,010 / 0 / 0
• This is a final regulation that was registered as SOR/2021-53 on March 24, 2021 and published in the Canada Gazette on April 14, 2021; the stated effective date is April 11, 2021.

Who's affected#

• Chicken farmers across Canada, because these quotas limit how much they are allowed to produce under the federal/provincial system.
• Provincial marketing boards and quota managers who allocate and administer those limits.
• Processors and large buyers who plan slaughtering and packing capacity around available supply.
• Indirectly, retailers and consumers, because the quotas influence domestic supply and can affect prices and product availability.
• If it is unclear who is affected in a specific case (for example, small non‑quota producers or importers), the regulation itself does not provide further clarification.

Why it matters#

• Quotas directly shape how much chicken enters the Canadian market during the period. That affects farm incomes, processing workloads and potentially retail supply and prices.
• Producers use these fixed limits to plan flock sizes, feed purchases, and staffing for the quarter.
• For consumers, quota changes can influence availability of certain chicken products and short‑term price movement, especially if major provinces see big adjustments.
• This is a routine, periodic update to a managed‑supply system rather than a new policy direction.