Maple Leaf Foods selling off turkey assets

A Maple Leaf Foods flag flies outside the Schneiders plant in Kitchener, Ont. on Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

Maple Leaf Foods has agreed to sell its commercial turkey farms, hatchery operation and breeding farms to two Ontario-based companies.

The commercial turkey farms go to Kitchener based Ernald Enterprises Ltd., which operates five commercial turkey and chicken growing operations in southern Ontario, including one in New Dundee.

Ernald will also supply live turkeys to a Maple Leaf processing plant in Thamesford under a related five-year supply agreement.

Separately, Maple Leaf will sell its breeder farms and hatchery operation to Cuddy Farms Ltd., a Strathroy based supplier.

Maple Leaf did not disclose financial details of the transactions in its announcement Monday.

However, it said "the vast majority" of about 100 employees in its turkey operations will move to Ernald and Cuddy once the transactions close.