Packing plants are an essential service, Alberta says
The Alberta government is calling on Ottawa to designate the entire agriculture industry an “essential service” in an effort to keep the province’s food supply chain — including two major meat-packing plants — up and running during the COVID-19.
In a news conference Thursday, provincial Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen assured Albertans the food supply system is strong and will remain safe and accessible, in spite of the global pandemic.
“Alberta’s food production and distribution systems are diverse and stable,” Dreeshen said. “Do not hoard food and daily essentials. The system is intact.”
Still, it is anything but business as usual, Dreeshen added, with major grocers reporting a 50 per cent increase in total sales and heavy demand for freezer-friendly products, particularly meat.
“Demand is also escalating for food processors who supply retail markets, with some food processors operating 24-7,” he said. “The main priority for this sector ... is to keep their workers healthy and ensure product safety.”
Of top concern for many in the agriculture sector is the continued uninterrupted operation of the province’s meat-packing facilities. Alberta is home to two of Canada’s three major beef processing plants — the JBS plant at Brooks and the Cargill plant at High River. These two plants, plus the smaller Harmony Beef plant at Balzac, are capable of processing more than 50,000 head per week, accounting for more than three-quarters of beef production in Canada.
“Shutting down one of those plants would compromise the food security of many Canadians,” said Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of the agri-food analytics lab at Dalhousie University. “You’re talking about thousands and thousands of kilos a day. You cut that out and it becomes an issue.”
A formal essential-service designation would mean those plants could stay operational in the event governments require the closure of other businesses and services to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We do hear assurances (from all levels of government) that they understand the critical need to keep the processing industry and the whole value chain running,” said Janice Tranberg, president and CEO of the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association. “If there’s a positive, I would say that, collectively, industry and government have been working very co-operatively on this.”
Chris White, president and CEO of the Canadian Meat Council, said all parties are being as creative as possible to ensure the continuity of the food system. He said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, for example, has temporarily suspended low-risk activities to prioritize critically important services during the pandemic.
“The CFIA has also been looking at what they would do if, for some reason, they suddenly had a shortage of inspectors,” White said. “Late last week they also put out a call for retired inspectors, just like the medical field has done.”
Still, White acknowledged that labour shortages have long been an issue for Alberta’s beef processing plants, and losing a significant number of employees to illness or quarantine would be a challenge for companies.
“One can imagine that at some point, a plant is going to be in a tough situation,” White said. “But, so far, we’ve been lucky and that has not happened.”
In an email, JBS Canada spokesman Cameron Bruett said the Brooks plant has added a number of health and safety measures during the pandemic, including travel and visitor restrictions, enhanced sanitation efforts including routine disinfection, and the segregation of employees during breaks to maintain appropriate social distancing. Employees must also submit to health screening and temperature checks before entering the plant.
Cargill-high River is also performing temperature testing where possible, as well as additional cleaning and sanitization procedures and social distancing practices, spokesman Daniel Sullivan said in an email.
“We also will continue to enforce a mandatory 14-day quarantine for any employees who may have been exposed to COVID-19, and that includes any employees who may have come into contact with any team member who has tested positive,” he said.
Cargill has also implemented pay increases and bonuses for its front-line plant workers.
The livelihood of Alberta’s ranchers and feedlot operators is heavily dependent on the health of the beef processing sector, said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
“It is a very integrated system,” Laycraft said. “Whether you’re a rancher or a cashier in a grocery store or a butcher in a packing plant, you’re going out there every day to make sure there is a safe and affordable supply of food available during all of this.”
On Thursday, Dreeshen said another priority for the Alberta government is maintaining an open trade relationship between Canada and the United States for movement of essential goods across the border.
He said Alberta is working with its federal and provincial partners to maintain functioning rail service, ports and commercial trucking systems within Canada and across North America to enable the movement of food and other essentials.