Canada’s 1,992 turkey farms raised 21.8 million turkeys weighing 183.4 million kilograms in 2016, according to Statistics Canada.
Other sources offer different numbers. According to the Turkey Farmers of Canada, 542 turkey farms produced a total of 170.9 million kilograms in 2017, with their total value topping $384 million. Total Canadian consumption reached 153.1 million kilograms — or 4.2 kilograms per person.
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Looking at seasonal sales, Canadians purchased 2.2 million whole turkeys in 2017 — 31 per cent of all whole turkeys sold that year.
For Christmas 2017, Canadians purchased 3.3 million whole turkeys — 47 per cent of all whole turkeys sold that year, according to the Turkey Farmers of Canada.
Overall, 36 per cent of Canadian households (5.1 million) purchased turkey and turkey products for Christmas 2017.
