The value of beef cutouts has reached record highs over the last few days, as packing plant capacity has been reduced by shutdowns in the U.S. and Canada. At the same time, those shutdowns have put immense pressure on cash cattle prices. “In the U.S. for the cash cattle that are trading, they are going… Read More
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect comments from a JBS spokesperson. A JBS spokesperson has stated that the plant is not closed and is operating one shift. JBS did not indicate the amount of cattle that would be slaughtered per day. Alberta OH&S has announced an investigation following the death of employees… Read More
It has been a brutal month for the North American pork sector due to demand destruction, packing plant closures, and hog futures that have dropped by at least 30 per cent. With every plant shutdown, the inventory of market-ready hogs compounds, increasing the stress on the entire value chain. The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) released… Read More
While there is plenty of attention on the growing beef processing crisis in Western Canada, beef producers in Eastern Canada are also struggling with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) has published a video request of the federal government, which includes several voices from the beef industry’s eastern producers… Read More
The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) has decided to postpone its 107th Annual General Meeting and Convention, originally set for June 7th to 9th at Assiniboia. The SSGA says a meeting at that time is not possible because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As the response to COVID-19 continues to evolve, we’re hoping that life will… Read More
U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled his three-step plan to re-open the economy, entitled “Opening up America Again.” Along with the announcement, the president has started encouraging political allies to “liberate” certain states that have shelter-in-place (social distancing) measures currently in effect. There’s no question, the economic impact of social distancing is very evident in… Read More
After a very difficult couple weeks at the Cargill beef processing facility at High River, Alta., due to an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases and one death, the Minneapolis-based company has decided to idle the plant until the company and employees can adapt to operating during a pandemic. In a statement to RealAgriculture, Jon… Read More
Chicken Farmers of Canada’s board of directors has adjusted the May to July chicken allocation by 12.6 per cent nationally, to reduce production in an effort to address lower demand for chicken from restaurants and food service providers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decrease in production will be highest in Ontario, Quebec,… Read More
Editors Note: Given the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, this information will continue to be updated. Last update: April 21, 2020, 2:00PM MST. There have been 360 cases of COVID-19 linked to Cargill’s beef packing plant at High River, Alberta, as of Tuesday afternoon. Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw shared… Read More
The COVID-19 outbreak has the animal protein sector in flux at all levels of the value chain, and everyone is attempting to find reasonable measures to balance their own interests with others’. Producers want packers to stay open so they have a place to ship animals, and to avoid the problematic scenarios that could unfold… Read More
When the Harmony Beef plant closed for three days in late March, it was a warning of bigger problems ahead. After a couple weeks of beef slaughter plant slow-downs or closures in North America — including in Alberta, at Cargill in High River and JBS at Brooks — producers are very concerned on how the… Read More
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is asking the federal government for “immediate, meaningful help” for Canada’s food and farming industry. During a press conference, Mary Robinson, president of the CFA, warned that without immediate assistance from the federal government, the Canadian agriculture sector cannot ensure our domestic food supply will remain secure for the… Read More
Meat coolers are going to look a lot different as we navigate COVID-19, but according to the Canadian Meat Council, each step of the livestock processing chain is collaborating, communicating, and committed to keeping food moving to grocery stores. Chris White, president and CEO of the Canadian Meat Council, says the livestock processing sector is… Read More
During the NAFTA renegotiations, it was continually reinforced by Canada and the U.S. that the beef supply chain between the two countries is highly integrated. From a trade perspective many look at this as a positive, but that does mean we share in market risk. Early on Monday, April 13, RealAgriculture was notified by feedyards… Read More
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is recommending the immediate reinstatement of a set-aside program that was implemented during the BSE era to address the challenges with beef processing capacity being created by COVID-19. The CCA says it’s in discussions with the federal government about implementing the program to encourage producers to hold cattle longer when… Read More