XL Foods has announced it will be temporarily laying off 2,000 workers from the Brooks plant.

According to a statement on their website XL Foods said the decision came after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency did not provide a “definitive timeline for relicensing of the Brooks, Alberta facility.”

The statement indicated the affected employees had been receiving full pay for the last three weeks.

“We look forward to actively working with the CFIA to bring this viable and timely resolution to allow the plant to recommence operations,” co-CEO Brian Nilsson said in the release.

“We are hopeful that the CFIA will bring this to a swift and viable resolution.”

The Canadian Food Inspection agency also issued a media release saying that they were ready to complete their assessment.

“We have already advised the company that its documented food safety plans are acceptable and that previously identified maintenance and sanitation issues have been addressed. In addition, we have clearly outlined the steps and actions we require the company to take so that we can be sure that food safety controls in the plant are working effectively,” the statement read.

“The speed at which XL Foods Inc. begins normal operations is solely dependent on their ability to demonstrate that they can produce safe food. The priority of the CFIA is and will remain the safety of Canadian food.”

Alberta’s Agriculture Minister, Verlyn Olson, said they were monitoring the situation closely.

“This is for CFIA and XL to resolve,” he told CTV Edmonton.

“We expect them to do it as quickly and expeditiously as possible and there are some good things that have happened in the last few days but this is a little bit of a disappointing setback,”

The local Chamber of Commerce said the plant’s decision would affect the entire town.

“It will affect the retailer community,” Jeanette Hycha said,

“But at this point this is a temporary layoff,

“I'm certainly not considering it as a closure,” she added.