Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the meat industry in Canada
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

During the
COVID-19 pandemic in Canada The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (). It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Most cases over the course of the pandemic have been in Ontario, Que ...
, outbreaks of the virus took place in factories operated by the
meat packing industry The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally no ...
and the poultry processing industry. These outbreaks affected multiple plants, leading to closures of some factories and disruption of others, and posing a threat to the
food supply Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World ...
in Canada. The Cargill beef processing plant in High River, Alberta is the largest workplace outbreak in Canada, and having over 1000 cases linked to the site, it is considered the single largest infection cause in North America.


Early response

Sometime in late March 2020 several industry groups, among them the
Canadian Meat Council The Canadian Meat Council is Canada's national trade association for the federally inspected meat packers and processors. It is an industry trade group associated with the meat packing industry. Federally inspected plants account for over 90% of a ...
which included as regular members
Cargill Cargill, Incorporated, is a privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in ter ...
,
JBS Foods International JBS Foods International (JBSFI) engages in the food business internationally, and is the largest meatpacking company in the world. It is a " controlled company" in SEC parlance. JBSFI operates through four segments: Beef, Pork, Poultry, and Other ...
and the Alberta Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, distributed a flyer entitled "Safeguarding the Canadian Meat Supply". The flyer, which stressed the industry's adherence to
CFIA The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA; french: Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments) is a regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, plants, and animals (FPA) in Canada, thus enhancing the health and well-being o ...
regulations, detailed measures which would be taken to do just that: * Symptom monitoring - 4 points * Temperature monitoring - 2 points * Travel and exposure history - 2 points * Controlled entry - 3 points * Hand sanitation - 2 points * Personnel distancing - 3 points * Facility and equipment sanitation - 4 points It was produced in eight languages. It was distributed, along with a cover letter signed by seven association leaders, to meat professionals in Canada, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan. Sometime in early April, a two-page fact sheet entitled "Food Safety and COVID-19" detailed the measures consumers should take to protect themselves and their families. It was keyed in red and made liberal use of federal government advice, and directed readers to government help lines. The industry organizations also produced a pair of videos.


Overall impact

Seventy percent of Canada's beef processing facilities are concentrated in two meat processing facilities in Alberta, both of which closed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
on April 20. Coupled with the drop in oil prices, Alberta's financial situation was significantly affected. Experts noted as early as 8 April that the Alberta economy needs to diversify, and perhaps the government needs introduce a
Provincial Sales Tax In Canada, there are two types of sales taxes levied. These are : *Provincial sales taxes (PST), levied by the provinces. * Goods and services tax (GST)/ harmonized sales tax (HST), a value-added tax levied by the federal government. The GST ap ...
. As of April 23, the Province of Alberta had launched an occupational health and safety investigation into conditions at the
Cargill Cargill, Incorporated, is a privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in ter ...
meat-packing plant in
High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community take ...
. 96 employees at a JBS plant in
Brooks Brooks may refer to: Places ;Antarctica *Cape Brooks ;Canada *Brooks, Alberta ;United States *Brooks, Alabama * Brooks, Arkansas *Brooks, California *Brooks, Georgia * Brooks, Iowa * Brooks, Kentucky * Brooks, Maine *Brooks Township, Michigan * ...
had tested positive for COVID-19. Hog producers were unhappy due to closed slaughterhouses and closed restaurants, and lost money on every animal they sold. Human cases of COVID-19 disease in April "at American pork-processing plants, including in
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
and
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, have temporarily closed facilities and slashed the number of hogs being processed every day by an estimated 60,000." Manitoba hog producers were particularly unhappy because they used to market to the Americans. A finishing pig that commanded $180 in January 2020 is now worth around $130. The producers want reinstated the federal government subsidy called the "set-aside program, which compensates producers for feeding the animals they hold back (from the slaughterhouses) a maintenance diet. The program was first implemented during the BSE crisis" of 25 years before. On April 28,
McDonald's Canada McDonald's Restaurants of Canada, Limited (french: Les Restaurants McDonald's du Canada Limitée) is the Canadian master franchise of the fast food restaurant chain McDonald's, owned by the American parent McDonald's Corporation. One of Canada ...
announced that it would begin using beef from approved sources outside of Canada, to supplement their Canadian supply. The ''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'' reported that product would come from the
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, and
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. It removed Angus beef burgers from its menu, temporarily. One supermarket in Alberta noted that they were getting less supply of beef, but not a significant impact as of late April. Some pigs in eastern Canada were euthanised, as slaughterhouses closed. UFCW Local 401, which represents various beef production plants in Alberta, called for a stop work order in early May. On 11 May, the
CFIA The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA; french: Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments) is a regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, plants, and animals (FPA) in Canada, thus enhancing the health and well-being o ...
's
Agriculture Union The Agriculture Union is an affiliate of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). It has more than 8,000 members who work for Canadian federal government departments and agencies such as the: * Canadian Food Inspection Agency * Agriculture ...
of
embedded inspector Similar to an embedded journalist, an embedded inspector is paid by the regulator to observe regulated practices at the place of regulated activity. The inspector can work for his entire inspection career at the same regulated facility. This term i ...
s at slaughterhouses said that management is "threatening disciplinary action against employees who refuse to be reassigned to work at COVID-19-infected meat plants", while Deputy PM
Chrystia Freeland Christina Alexandra Freeland (born August 2, 1968) is a Canadian politician serving as the tenth and current deputy prime minister of Canada since 2019 and the Minister of Finance (Canada), minister of finance since 2020. A member of the Libe ...
said that "those who feel unsafe won't be forced back to work." On 11 May, a CBC journalist wrote that "The Cargill plant in Alberta, where there have been about 1,000 reported cases f human COVID-19 is now considered the largest single-site outbreak in North America." On 13 May, it was reported that forty government food inspectors had contracted COVID-19, 21 of them in Alberta.


Specific processors


Cargill


High River plant

The town of
High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community take ...
had 164 cases and one death as of April 17, with some of the patients being employees of the
Cargill Cargill, Incorporated, is a privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in ter ...
meat packing plant. The plant continued at a reduced capacity, but no layoffs had occurred as of April 17. As of April 17, there were 358 cases linked to the plant, accounting for 15% of the province's cases; that ratio grew to 1 in 4 by late April. United Food and Commercial Workers Canada Union Local 401 lobbied unsuccessfully for the plant's closure since the point at which health authorities were aware of 38 cases linked to the facility. On April 20, Cargill temporarily closed the facility after a total of 484 cases were confirmed. Fifteen residents of
Eden Valley 216 Eden Valley 216 is an Indian reserve of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, comprising Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley First Nations, located near Longview, Alberta Longview is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in the Canadian Ro ...
and
Morley Morley may refer to: Places England * Morley, Norfolk, a civil parish * Morley, Derbyshire, a civil parish * Morley, Cheshire, a village * Morley, County Durham, a village * Morley, West Yorkshire, a suburban town of Leeds and civil parish * M ...
were found to have COVID-19 in late April; both are Stoney Nakoda Nation communities. Contract tracing connected some of those cases to Cargill, where some members of that community work. On 11 May, the Government of Alberta disclosed that a second worker from the Cargill plant had died that day. As of mid-May, 18 on-site food inspectors at the plant had contracted COVID-19.


Chambly, Quebec plant

At
Chambly, Quebec Chambly is an off-island suburb of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located in the Montérégie region, inland from the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River. It was formed from the merger in 1965 of Fort-Chambly (formerly Chambl ...
's Cargill plant, 64 employees were contracted the disease. The plant will close by May 13 as a preventative measure, once all food is processed.


Conestoga Meats

Conestoga Meats, in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, suffered 2 covid outbreaks with a confirmed 88 positive covid cases. According to the executive director of Workers Action Centre, the conditions of employment and the poor quality of the jobs at Conestoga Meats “led to a high rate of infection”. 33 out of the 88 positive cases were recorded to be community acquired. No deaths were declared.


JBS Canada

In
Brooks, Alberta Brooks is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the County of Newell. It is located on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and the Canadian Pacific Railway, approximately southeast of Calgary, and northwest of Medicine Hat. Th ...
, 7% of the population tested positive for COVID-19, with 600 workers confirmed and probable cases in the JBS Foods plant. As of May 9, 510 workers had recovered, but one worker died. The plant added a shift premium of $4 an hour, but many employees skipped their shifts, forcing the company to reduce their schedule to one shift. As of April 21, the company claimed that there had been no walk-offs.


Lilydale

On May 1, it was announced that 52 employees of a Lilydale poultry plant in Coquitlam were infected by the virus. As of April 23, at least one employee of the Lilydale plant in southeast Calgary had COVID-19.


Maple Leaf Foods

According to a message posted on the companies website, at least 59 employees contracted COVID-19. The company reported one COVID related death. Since the pandemic began, Maple Leaf Foods deployed a plan to tackle COVID-19, the company said: “We deployed our pandemic plan early, conducting daily health and temperature screening, requiring masks and social distancing, installing plexiglass separators between workstations where possible, and adding trailers at some locations to decrease density in employee welfare areas.” The company encouraged all employees to get the COVID-19 vaccination.


Olymel

The Olymel facility in Red Deer faced an extensive COVID-19 outbreak. 515 positive COVID cases were recorded and at least 3 deaths were announced.


United Poultry Co.

28 employees tested positive for the virus at the United Poultry Company, after the health authority investigated. It is not clear whether the virus was spread through contact during work, or within a break room. There was evidence at the plant that employees did have access to gloves and some plastic face coverings, but they identified that the plans that were in place were inadequate or were not appropriately executed.


References


External links

* * Brooklyn Neustaeter,
These are the meat plants in Canada affected by the coronavirus outbreak
, CTV News, continuously updated {{DEFAULTSORT:Impact of the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic on the meat industry in the Canada Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry
meat industry The meat industry are the people and companies engaged in modern industrialized livestock agriculture for the production, packing, preservation and marketing of meat (in contrast to dairy products, wool, etc.). In economics, the meat industry is ...
Economic history of Canada Meat packing industry in Canada History of Alberta