Saputo and Agropur lay off 346 workers in Atlantic Canada

Canada's two largest dairy processors are laying off 346 employees in Atlantic Canada.

Agropur Dairy Co-operative is cutting 62 full-time and 97 part-time workers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, effective April 1.

Saputo is laying off 66 full-time and 121 part-time employees in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Both companies say the workers stocked store shelves with their merchandise, and the change will bring their approach in line with how dairy processors handle orders and deliver their products to grocery stores elsewhere in Canada.

Generally, retailers have their own staff stock store shelves.

Neither Quebec-based company would say how much money would be saved by the change.