The chairman of the Alberta Beef Producers says the management takeover is a positive step toward getting the Brooks plant up and running again.

Doug Sawyer tells 660News, he doesn’t see the change causing any delays in getting the plant reopened. “Certainly they’re well underway making all the arrangements that have to be made with the Federal government and CFIA, so I don’t see a delay here,” he says.

Sawyer add’s that producers know how vital the plant is to the industry and the important thing is to get it operating again very soon.
    
Meanwhile, 800 XL Foods workers are off the job again, after a day of work at the Brooks plant. 2,000 staff were let go Sunday, only to have hundreds re-hired the next day.

Doug O’Halloran, President of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 401 says they knew the hire was temporary and they were only there to process the over five thousand carcasses left at Lakeside Packers.

“We would anticipate the plant being re-opened to some degree Friday or Monday to start processing,” said O’Halloran.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency closed the plant down late September due to a massive E. coli related beef recall.