B.C. butcher shops busy despite pandemic

Apr 20, 2020

People have taken a real interest in local businesses, one owner said

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Some British Columbia businesses have seen increases in foot traffic and sales despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several local abattoirs and butcher shops are busier now than they’ve ever been.

The lineups and potential supply shortages at large commercial retailers are prompting consumers to consider supporting local businesses instead, said Mike Noullett, owner and operator of Kawano Farms in Prince George. He’s also a board member with the B.C. Association of Abattoirs.

“We’ve got lots of new customers coming around and a lot of our old customers are doing a lot more shopping at our store,” he told Farms.com. “We would’ve thought with people being laid off there would’ve been less shopping, but I think with this hoarding of food and empty (grocery store) shelves, people are coming into their local businesses.”

Some consumers have expressed a commitment to buying from a local butcher instead of from a commercial retailer, even if the products cost a few dollars more, Noullett added.

Meeting the increased demand hasn’t been an issue.

B.C,’s livestock farmers have been able to supply the abattoirs with enough product to keep up, Noullett said.

“We haven’t had a problem and we’ve got some really good producers around who are willing to move a few more animals,” he said.

Farms.com has reached out to B.C. livestock industry groups for comment.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.