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Beef industry provides COVID-19 update

Beef industry provides COVID-19 update

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has submitted support recommendations to the federal government

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Members of Canada’s beef sector hosted an online town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon to provide an update on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the industry and the steps necessary to overcome these challenges.

At the farm level, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is calling on the federal government for assistance.

On March 24, the organization provided a list of recommendations for the Trudeau government to consider to help beef producers manage through the pandemic.

Among the recommendations is re-establishing the federal Fed-Cattle Set-Aside Program to help slow down the supply chain.

Feedlot producers could bid to extend the feeding period of cattle up to a maximum of $2 per head per day for up to 90 days.

The program is designed to “delay the marketing of cattle,” Fawn Jackson, director of government and international relations with CCA, said during the meeting. “The way that we do this is through feeding cattle a maintenance diet instead of a growth diet.”

A government and industry governance committee would be needed to lay out the program’s parameters and identify the number of cattle needed to be slowed down within the supply chain, Jackson said.

Discussions are also being held as to whether dairy cows earmarked for processing would be eligible for the program, Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of CCA, said during the call.

The CCA implemented a set-aside program in 2004 after the discovery of BSE in Alberta the year prior closed export markets.

During the 2004 program, Alberta identified an oversupply of 100,000 cattle and B.C.’s oversupply was around 70,000 calves.

A major factor for the need to slow down the supply chain is because of COVID-19 concerns at processing facilities.

About 1,000 employees have been laid off at the Cargill High River plant in Alberta following an outbreak of the coronavirus. As of Monday, 38 employees have tested positive for the illness.

And processing plants in the U.S. have also closed or reduced staff to stop the virus’ spread.

These issues underscore the need for labour, said Janice Tranberg, president of the National Cattle Feeders’ Association.

“We understand that there are a number of Canadians looking for employment in agriculture and this is a really good opportunity right now,” she said during the call. “But with current issues at our packing plants and with all aspects of the beef value chain there is a need for labour, and provincial governments have been stepping up with job-matching programs.”

Alberta, for example, released its Agriculture Job Connector website to match workers with employers within the industry. The Ontario government has also launched a webpage that features ag employment opportunities and training resources.

The CCA’s other recommendations for the federal government include declaring COVID-19 a natural disaster under the AgriRecovery Program and eliminating the $3-million payment cap on AgriStability.


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