Another Alberta packing plant is dealing with COVID-19.
Dennis Laycraft, the Executive Vice President of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, told producers in a virtual town hall meeting last night that there have now been COVID-19 cases in three packing plants.
Laycraft notes processors are doing what they can to increase health and safety protocols to keep employees safe and processing lines moving.
“I can tell you having worked with them, they've gone to extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of their workforce. One plant I know they’ve put in 450 dividers between workers to make sure that they're able to offer the most effective controls and their using masks, using visors using every precaution that you can.”
The latest case involves employees at the JBS Plant at Brooks, this is in addition to earlier cases at Harmony Beef and Cargill’s High River plant.
Earlier this week the Cargill facility cut its production down to one shift and has since temporarily suspended its kill line while they work through the current inventory.
Industry officials expect the line to be back up and operating next week.
Health officials emphasize there is "NO" risk to the public from food produced at any of the plants.
With the reduction in processing capacity, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association is calling on Ottawa to release a set-aside program to help slowdown the supply chain and delay marketing. Fawn Jackson, the CCA's Director of Government and International Relations says the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program also needs to be reviewed.
“Essentially what is the problem with this program, today, is the premiums that we need to pay to participate in the program have become extremely expensive. So we have a recommendation into the Federal and Provincial Governments to address this because right at the time when we need a price insurance program the very most the program is essentially becoming so expensive that no one is able to utilize it.”
The CCA is also urging Ottawa to declare COVID-19 a natural disaster under the AgriRecovery Program and to look at enhancing the AgriStability program to make it more efficient for the livestock sector.
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