COVID-19 bottlenecks create looming crisis for hog farmers
Bottlenecks at pork slaughterhouses due to COVID -19 are creating a cash crisis for farmers, raising fears of bankruptcies at the farm level and threatening the flow of Canadian meat to grocery store coolers.
A cluster of coronavirus outbreaks has bedevilled meat-packing plants in recent weeks, forcing the temporary shutdown of some facilities and the imposition of strict social distancing and safety measures in others.
Olymel, the country’s largest pork processor, was forced to close a plant in Yamamiche, Que., for 14 days after nine employees tested positive for the virus. The company reopened that plant last week and has introduced new safety protocols at three of its six slaughterhouses.
While the measures are necessary to keep employees safe and prevent a total shutdown of facilities, they are also dramatically reducing the number of animals moving through the plants, creating a backlog on farms that is costing farmers between $30 and $50 per animal — or roughly half their value, according to the Canadian Pork Council. Most of the country ’s 13 pork processing plants are now operating at reduced capacity as infection control measures are carried out.
The organization is seeking aid from the federal government to keep farmers afloat. “We are asking the government for an emergency payment of $20 per hog so that pork producers can continue to pay bills, feed pigs and keep producing food for Canadian families,” said Rick Bergmann, chair of the council. “Without it, family farms will be lost. In turn we will continue to see disruption in the food supply chain, and increased food insecurity as supplies tighten and food becomes even more expensive.”
The federal government is working with the provinces to support farmers and ensure availability of meat products, according to Marie-claude Bibeau, the federal
Minister of Agriculture and Agrifood.