Question Period Note: COVID-19 Impacts on Meat Processing

How will you make sure that the meat processing industry has the appropriate level of Personal Protective Equipment for its workers?

1. The food sectors is making efforts to ensure employee safety, including adapting their plant operations.

2. Personal Protective Equipment is an important part of these efforts to protect employees and maintain the food supply chain and the well-being of Canadians.

3. The Government is working closely with the provinces, territories and industry to ensure that the food sector has measures in place and the tools needed to protect employees and is able to continue to provide food for Canadians.

Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, some federally registered meat establishments have closed temporarily while others are reducing production speed due to worker absenteeism and as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19 among staff. The reduced capacity for the slaughter of food animals in meat establishments has Canadian livestock producers faced with backup of live animals on farms across the country. This can lead to animal welfare issues and some producers have no option but to consider humane culling of animals that were destined for slaughter.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) plays a key role in ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection of animals and carcasses. Under regulation, federally licensed meat establishments require CFIA inspection staff on-site at all times in order to operate.

Beef
Beef processing in Canada is heavily concentrated in Alberta, with 77% of cattle slaughtered in this province. The Cargill plant, in High River, Alberta is a beef processing plant that normally employs approximately 2,000 employees and processes 4,500 head of cattle per day. A COVID-19 outbreak in High River resulted in at least 750 positive cases linked to the establishment, as of April 28th. Cargill implemented a reduction in shifts, staggering breaks, enhanced cleaning and sanitizing, and employee temperature testing as some of the actions taken to minimize risks for employees.

On April 20th, Cargill temporary closed the High River plant. Operations resumed on May 4th with one daily shift. During the 14-day temporary closure, Cargill implemented additional safety measures to respond to the community-wide impacts of the virus.

Slaughter and processing has also been impacted at the JBS plant in Brooks, Alberta where 276 COVID-19 cases were confirmed among employees and contractors with one death. Safety measures and worker absenteeism has the plant operating at half normal capacity, at best.

Plant closures and slowdowns in slaughter has led to fed cattle and cull cows being backed up in feedlots and on farm. It is estimated there are 125,000 cattle backed up in Western Canada.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has been in regular conversations with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association to understand a proposal submitted to set-aside cattle to reduce bottlenecks at processing plants. AAFC is evaluating this proposal.

Pork
On March 28, Quebec health services notified Olymel that several employees at its Yamachiche plant tested positive for COVID-19. On March 29, Olymel announced the temporary 14-day closure of that slaughterhouse, which impacted almost 1,000 employees. The plant resumed operations on April 13th at a reduced capacity.

Two additional hog processors in Quebec were significantly impacted by labor shortages and increased absenteeism.

On April 24, 2020 Conestoga Meat Packers announced that they would be suspending operations during the week of April 27, as a number of employees tested positive for COVID-19. Conestoga accounts for 45% of hog capacity in Ontario and 8% in Canada.

The plant closures and slowdowns in slaughter has led to hogs being backed up on farms in the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario. Prince Edward Island culled 200 hogs on April 7th, and, as of April 29th, it is estimated there are 120,000 hogs backed up on farms in Quebec and Ontario.

AAFC is in close communication with the meat industry and has established a joint Meat and Poultry Industry-Government COVID-19 Working Group to ensure a national approach to addressing the current environment's challenges.

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