Our May Issue

May 2020

TRUDEAU PLEDGES $252M FOR COVID-19 AID TO AGRICULTURE Canada Launches Agri-Food Immigration Pilot Safety First to Keep the Food Chain from Disruption Livestock Profitability Tied to North American Processing Capacity New Fund Offers Solutions for Uncertain Times AB and SK Announce Measures to Support Cattle Producers Ontario Meat Processors Applaud Investment in Workplace Protection

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May 2020

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Trudeau pledges $252m for Covid-19 aid to Agriculture

Canada launches AgriFood Immigration By Shelby Thevenot

The New Normal - Safety First to keep the Food Chain from Disruption

By Mihi Joshi, CIMCO Refrigeration

Livestock Profitability tied to North American Processing Capacity

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New Fund Offers Solutions for Uncertain Times

Alberta and Saskatchewan Announce Measures to Support Cattle Producers

Statement from Canadian Beef Industry Conference

Messe Frankfurt takes over Management of Process Expo Covid-19 Causes Cash Flow Crisis For Small Business

By Marilyn Braun-Pollon

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May 2020 Volume 20 Number 1

PUBLISHER Ray Blumenfeld ray@meatbusiness.ca MANAGING EDITOR Scott Taylor publishing@meatbusiness.ca DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR Cam Patterson cam@meatbusiness.ca CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

TRUDEAU PLEDGES $252M FOR COVID-19 AID TO AGRICULTURE In an announcement in early May, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promising a $252-million aid package for Canada’s agriculture and food industries in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds fall far short of the $2.6 billion request for help which came in April from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, but the Prime Minister said the money is a starting point.

Shelby Thevenot, Mihi Joshi, Marilyn Braun-Pollon CREATIVE DIRECTOR Patrick Cairns

Canadian Meat Business is published six times a year by We Communications West Inc.

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“We know that farmers still have concerns about what this pandemic means for their industry long-term,” Trudeau said. “The government is working with everyone involved to find lasting solutions. This is an initial investment and if we need to add more, we will.”

He stated $77 million of that will go to measures to keep workers in food processing safe with protective equipment and by supporting physical distancing in workplaces. Meat-packing plants, in particular, have seen large outbreaks of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Those funds factor into another issue. With workers in place, attention can turn to getting crops in the field or animals off to slaughter. But meat-processing plants in particular — some of which have been grappling with COVID-19 outbreaks among staff — are at capacity, and so there is nowhere to send the animals.

The temporary foreign workers who plant and harvest food can’t all come to Canada, but if they do manage to arrive, they and domestic workers need equipment and supplies such as masks to keep them safe and able to do their jobs while respecting virus mitigation protocols.

If the products make it through processing, where to sell them? The closure of most of the country’s restaurants and hotels, but also disruptions in global supply chains, mean Canadians warehouses are packed full of food like potatoes. Milk is being dumped out because there are not enough customers and the product is spoiling.

Trudeau said the government will spent $50 million to buy up surplus food before it goes bad and try to redistribute it to food banks.

The dairy-processing industry will be getting its own funds to buy up more milk and related products.

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau pointed out that the announcement builds on previous commitments to increase funding for farms, and to support temporary foreign workers, food banks and nutrition programs in the North For more information, please view the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy technical backgrounder by clicking here.

For more information, visit www.canada.ca 100TH ISSUE | March/April 2019 May 2020 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS 55

CANADA LAUNCHES AGRI-FOOD IMMIGRATION

By Shelby Thevenot

The long-awaited Canadian immigration program will provide a pathway to permanent residence for workers in certain agri-food industries.

that is part of the pilot, as long as the worker’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) code is eligible.

They can then apply for a permanent selection from Quebec through the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).

Applications are now being accepted for the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot.

The pilot is intended to address the labour needs of Canadian employers in the meat processing, mushroom and greenhouse production, and livestock-raising industries. Temporary visa holders who are already in Canada working in these fields will be able to apply for permanent residence under the new pilot.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will admit up to 2,750 principal applicants plus their family members annually for the next three years under the pilot. Applications are being accepted from now until May 14, 2023, according to an IRCC media release.

Canadian employers in the agri-food sector have been calling on the federal government to help them recruit and retain the workforce they need to operate.

The pilot’s intended launch date was supposed to be at the end of March but was delayed due to the global coronavirus pandemic. It provides an option for temporary foreign workers (TFWs) with agri-food work experience to gain permanent residence.

The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot does not include the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration system. However, Quebec employers who hire nonseasonal temporary foreign workers can benefit from the two-year Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) 6

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THE OCCUPATIONS AND INDUSTRIES ELIGIBLE UNDER THE PILOT INCLUDE: * Meat product manufacturing; * Retail butchers * Industrial butchers * Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers * Food processing labourers. * Greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushroom production; * Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers * General farm workers * Harvesting labourers. * Animal production excluding aquaculture; * arm supervisors and specialized livestock workers * General farm workers.

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“Supporting the industry will also take strong collaboration between banks, credit unions, FCC and other financial institutions,” said Hoffort. “FCC has served as a strong and stable industry presence for more than 60 years, and this current situation is no different. We will be working in partnership with other financial providers to offer the solutions needed by the agriculture and food industry to take on the challenges ahead.”

The agriculture and agri-food industry supports 1 in 8 jobs across the country. In 2019, agriculture exports hit a record $67 billion.

“Attracting and retaining talented workers is essential to help grow our economy and improve the living standards of all Canadians,” Marco Mendicino, Canada’s minister of immigration, said in the release. “The Agri-Food Pilot will attract applicants for permanent residence who have worked in Canada, who can economically establish in Canada, and who support the labour needs of farmers and processors.”

VEMAG

REPLACEMENT PARTS

As part of its ongoing support efforts, FCC also is asking existing customers who have cash flow or other financial concerns to contact the organization to discuss alternatives, such as loan payment deferrals and products available to assist with cash flow needs.

“Each business’ financial situation is unique, so there may be a combination of options considered,” Hoffort said. “The bottom line is that FCC is being supported by our shareholder to play a bigger role in supporting the success of the Canadian agriculture and food industry across Canada. The sooner we can discuss potential challenges, the more options we have.”

For more information, visit https://www.canada. ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship.html

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May 2020 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS 7 7 100TH ISSUE | March/April 2019

THE NEW NORMAL - SAFETY FIRST TO KEEP THE FOOD

By Mihi Joshi, CIMCO Refrigeration CHAIN FROM DISRUPTION REDUCING TRANSMISSION OF COVID-19 AMONG WORKERS: DECREASING RISK FOR ADJACENT WORKERS ON PRODUCTION LINES IN A REFRIGERATED PROCESS ROOM No matter which industry you consider, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on businesses and their daily routine. As governments monitor the situation and provide updates globally and locally, organizations are coming to the realization that a return to the old ‘normal’ may not happen anytime soon (if at all) and new policies must be applied to adapt to the ‘new normal’. Safe work and risk mitigation practices are vital to slowing and preventing the spread of COVID-19. This is particularly crucial for those essential workplaces that operate in large facilities with production lines – such as food chain suppliers.

between workers on production lines. It is important to note that this is a rapidly evolving situation; individuals and organizations are working on various methods to improve safety in these facilities, and newer solutions are being introduced continually.

However, the options we present here can help increase hygiene levels for workers in facilities beyond the spread of COVID-19, and deserve deliberation for daily sanitation benefits too.

THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF SOLUTIONS THAT CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF TRANSMISSION: According to epidemiologic evidence, COVID-19 appears to transmit largely through respiratory droplets and contact. This suggests that transmission in a workplace setting can occur either directly, through close contact, or indirectly, through contaminated surfaces and/or objects. Sharing workstations or being in close proximity heightens this possibility, which means adjacent workers on productions line are particularly at risk.

Pulling from our years of experience in the refrigeration industry, we have compiled some suggestions as a guide to decrease the risk of SARS-COV transmission 8 8

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* HYGIENIC ROOF TOP UNITS (RTUS) * AIR HANDLING UNITS (AHUS) * EXHAUST FANS & MAKEUP AIR UNITS (EFS & MAUS) * PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT (PPE) Each comes with its own advantages to take into consideration. We hope to guide you through some of the main options in this document, but the team at CIMCO Refrigeration is always happy to hear from you and help provide a solution tailored to your facility.

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NSF INTERNATIONAL FOCUSES ON CANADIAN FOOD INDUSTRY WITH NEW WEBSITE FOR SERVICES IN CANADA Global public health organization showcases services for Canada’s growing and fast-changing food industry NSF International in Canada recently launched a new website - www.nsfcanada.ca - to give Canada’s growing and complex food and beverage industry easy access to the global public health organization’s expertise and 1)in Canada.

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIC ROOFinformation TOP services The website combines on the depth, experience and capabilities of the NSF International Canadian office with access to NSF Industrial RTUs can provide clean air to workers with International’s global services dedicated to food safety either fresh air makeup or by cleaning return air. and quality.

Some of the main advantages include the fact that Evolving regulations across countries and increasing they can returnassociated air once HEPA & food potentially complexities with afiltration globalized supply secondary lines of defence, such as UV, clean it. clients The in network present challenges for NSF International supply ductwork can be designed to distribute clean Canada and around the world. The new Canadian website and area, services help companies air offers downexpertise to the work andtoreturn air can benavigate these challenges, including certification and auditing, designed to collect potentially contaminated air from consulting, technical services, training and education, workers, minimizing potential for cross-exposure food and label compliance, packaging, and product and between workers. It also provides heating, cooling, & process development. dehumidifying of space as well as fresh air make-up, air NSF International’s Canadian website provides information exhaust, and cleaning of recirculated air.

accredited International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) site. Topics include HACCP, food safety benchmarked Central AHUsand canquality, serveGFSI entire rooms or a standards, large number (including FSMA), science, ofregulations workers. They can be rooffood mounted or food hungpackaging, in food microbiology and ISOreturn standards.

Training modalities the room.

Complete with ducting, these are include eLearning, on-site, customized and open enrolment.

designed to draw air low from the workers’ area, clean Additionally, the website includes information about area. the air, and then duct it back down to the workers’ management system registrations for the food, automotive, environmental, information security, medical devices, Multiple AHUs could serve a small group of workers; aerospace and chemical industries, as well as for Ontario these would beprograms. hung in the room directly above drinking water

workspace.

The return ducting draws air from individual Visit the new Canadian website at www.nsfcanada.ca to review the food workers, cleans it andvideo, returns the air to individual safety services capabilities find a list of Canadian food experts, learn about upcoming events and global news releases, a question workers. YesGroup_CanadianMeatBusiness-Qtr-pg.pdf 1 submit 2014-05-16 1:20:17 PMor read an FAQ.

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on the following services:

Certification & auditing: Third-party food safety audits 2) AIR HANDLING and certifications, which are integralUNITS components of supplier selection and regulatory compliance. Accurate audits are the first step toward successful verification of a company’s food safety system, providing improved brand protection and customer confidence. Certifications and audits are available for animal and produce in the agriculture industry, GFSI certification and management system registration.

Consulting: A full-service team approach providing technical resources, expertise and insight for a wide range of food safety and quality services. NSF International provides finished product inspection testing for food, packaging and non-food testing for rapid analysis and insight to protect the brand, technical support services from on-site temporary or permanent technical staffing AHUs can comeand in various sizes of – from very large central placements, various types consulting.

AHUs to individual workstation Technical services: A one-stopAHUs. solutionPotentially for food product contaminated air can be collected from thetoworkers, compliance and formulation, from concept finished product, including food and to label packaging, cleaned, & returned directly thecompliance, room, which means product process andadditional shelf-life and there is no and reliance on development, outdoor air. No product evaluation. refrigeration is typically required, and the supply air can Training and education:clean Training the global food be designed to distribute airfor directly to workers. and beverage industry across the supply chain as an meatbusiness.ca

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3) EXHAUST FANS & MAKEUP AIR UNITS

Both central AHUs and small area AHUs can be designed to collect potentially contaminated air from workers, minimizing potential for cross-exposure between workers.

Individual workstation AHUs, as the name indicates, require one unit per worker. These could be floorsupported, moveable, and with built-in dividers for a physical barrier between workers.

3) EXHAUST FANS & MAKEUP AIR UNITS 4) PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT These may be used to supply tempered fresh air to the room. Some advantages include the fact that they are installed outside of the workspace, don’t require cleaning the air, and the cooling is done with either built-in cooling & heating capability, or refrigeration coil for both cooling and hot gas heating by connecting to the central refrigeration system. With the exhaust air ductwork in the room, roof-mounted Efs and MAUs can be combined with registers near the workers to reduce air change requirements. Be sure to take the additional cooling and humidity load into consideration, as it may be significant.

CONSIDERATIONS There are several considerations for each of the solutions mentioned above that must be taken into account. These include structural requirements, installation time/disruption to operations, delivery times, availability of supplies, number of units required, other sanitation challenges, weight of the equipment, and cost of both installation and maintenance.

None of these solutions can prevent transmission of a virus, but they can heighten the sanitation levels in your facility to help your workers stay safe. These solutions are designed only for the process room; there are other common areas that must be adjusted accordingly. As with most instances, there is no single solution for mitigating risk in facilities. As we reopen businesses and start to establish the new normal, it is crucial to support the workers who risk their lives in the most effective way possible. This will depend on several factors, and to find the best solution we would recommend speaking to a specialist about your plant.

4) PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT PPE is a commonly used term at the present. The equipment consists of masks or respirators in combination with eye or full-face protection. These are fast, easy, and inexpensive to acquire, effective outside of work areas and provide an immediate solution to decreasing risk.

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Mihi Joshi is a technical writer at CIMCO Refrigeration, North America’s largest supplier of thermal solutions, providing full-service capabilities including design, engineering, installation and aftermarket service. CIMCO operates through 29 locations across Canada and the United States

LIVESTOCK PROFITABILITY TIED TO NORTH AMERICAN PROCESSING CAPACITY

Profitability is projected to be negative. Lower feed prices and a lower Canadian dollar will help support margins but will not offset losses currently projected for the year.

A recovery in slaughter numbers will be necessary for prices to rebound. It will take some time for processors to work through the supply of livestock ready for slaughter. The longer plants remain idled and operate below capacity, the longer it takes for prices to recover. The AgriRecovery set-aside program will help producers hold cattle longer when processing capacity is constrained.

We’re likely to see a shift in the types of meat consumed, an increased amount of ground meat moving to the market, and tighter availability for highend cuts that would normally go to the restaurant or foodservices industry (including veal cuts).

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W

Projecting prices in the current highly-uncertain environment is difficult. But the early-year trends and futures markets are helpful inputs. Western Canadian fed steer prices have dropped 30% since the beginning of the year, with most of the decline occurring in the last 4 weeks. In Eastern Canada, market hogs have declined 25%. Cattle and hog prices will likely be under pressure for the remainder of 2020.

adequate also depends on consumer behaviour. Beef and pork cut-out values have increased with beef reaching record daily highs lately.

NE

There was optimism in the red meat sector at the beginning of 2020. Cattle and hog prices were tracking higher than 2019. The outbreak of COVID-19 severely strained the red meat supply chain due to major reductions in slaughters across North America. That considerably changed our outlook for livestock prices in 2020.

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2. LIVESTOCK SUPPLY TRENDS COULD SHIFT Reduced slaughter capacity means cattle will be kept on feed longer including cull cows and feeders ready for market. This will require rebalancing feed rations to maintenance diets to slow their growth and extend feed supplies, pasture time and the time calves take to get to feeder weight. Revisiting marketing plans for later in the year, perhaps beyond the fall calf run, may be necessary as it will likely take several months for processors to clear the backlog. Overall cattle numbers could increase if producers retain cows and heifers which lead to more calves in 2021.

3. RED MEAT PROTEIN DEMAND WILL BE WEAKER The COVID-19 global recession will weaken global demand for red meat, especially in emerging markets.

Good news is that ASF and the lower hog numbers in China continue to back a strong import demand for pork globally. China’s pork imports tripled in March year-over-year.

BOTTOM LINE

A different trend could emerge for the hog sector.

We expect reduced North American hog numbers in the second half of 2020 as hog operations cull the sow breeding herd and reduce weanlings in the coming months to better match slaughter capacity. As a result, hog supplies could trend lower by the end of the year and for 2021.

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Livestock operations should expect negative margins until processing capacity and slaughter numbers across North America return towards normalcy. The COVID-19 economic crisis is causing significant financial stress. Building resiliency in these challenging times is hard. Our blog will offer guidance on financial risk management next week. You can also access FCC’s Rooted in Strength for mental health resources available to support you.

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https://www.beaconmetals.com 100TH ISSUE | March/April 2019 April 2020

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NEW FUND OFFERS SOLUTIONS FOR UNCERTAIN TIMES Through the facilitation of Farm Credit Canada (FCC), the Canadian government has announced the launch of a $100-million Agriculture and Food Business Solutions Fund to support proven, viable companies through unexpected business disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Launched in partnership with Forage Capital Inc. – a Calgary-based venture capital firm – the Agriculture and Food Business Solutions Fund is set up to provide companies with the financial stability and flexibility they need to rebuild their business models during challenging times. FCC is the sole investor in the fund.

loss of a facility or permanent loss of critical staff or leadership. Funds cannot be used to repay shareholder loans or purchase shareholder equity positions.

This fund is set to enhance FCC’s lending capacity by an additional $5 billion to help producers and agri-food businesses with access to cash flow to get through the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the original announcement, more than 4,800 producers and agri-food businesses have used payment deferral options on FCC loans totaling $4 billion and have established credit lines totaling more than $500 million to alleviate short-term cash flow concerns.

“This type of investment fund will offer companies another option when faced with business disruptions.

Through the application of flexible and innovative solutions, the investments will preserve jobs and strengthen food security for all Canadians,” stated The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

The fund is set up to support a wide range of enterprises in the agribusiness and agri-food sector, including companies involved in primary production, agri-tech, manufacturing, packaging and distribution.

The fund will help companies in times of need through innovative solutions such as convertible debt investments and other flexible financing solutions.

Applications will be assessed individually on their merit, and will be supported to a maximum of $10 million.

The primary goal of the Agriculture and Food Business Solutions Fund is to return recipient companies to a sound financial footing. To qualify, companies need to demonstrate an impact from an unexpected business disruption, such as the loss of a key supplier, temporary 14 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS 14

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QUICK FACTS * Today’s announcement is part of a broad suite of actions the Government of Canada has taken to support agricultural and food processing businesses to help ensure Canadians continue to have access to affordable and healthy food. These initiatives include: * Creating a $77.5 million Emergency Processing Fund to help food producers access more personal protective equipment (PPE), adapt to health protocols, automate or modernize their facilities, processes, and operations,

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and respond to emerging pressures from DF:soI don’t being onsupply the island COVID-19 they think can better has really impacted us negatively one Canadians with food during this period; way or the other. We’ve traveled a lot, * Launching national AgriRecovery met a lot of other farmers and livestock initiatives of up toin$125 in producers other million parts of Canada, and funding we to help producers faced all seem to have the samewith issues additional andcosts sameincurred concerns.by COVID-19; CMB: I understand that your farm

* Launching a first-ever Surplus Food was the first in Atlantic Canada to be Purchaseinvolved Program with an initial in the TESA program. $50 million fundI think designed to the helpfirst farm DF: Yes, we were redistribute existing and unsold east of Ontario as far as I understand. inventories; I’m not sure why the eastern associations wouldn’t have previously nominated anybodyfor because * Investing $62.5 million a newthere are many farms here on PEI doing every Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund bit as much as we are as to attain a to help Canada’s fish and seafood high level of sustainability. Anyway, processing sector; we were very surprised when the PEI Cattleman’s Association nominated our * Launching farm. a Business Credit Availability

Program to provide $65 billion of CMB: And then you were attending the additional support through the Business Canadian Beef conference in Calgary Development and youBank won.of Canada and Export Development Canada;

DF: Yeah! That was a very nice moment for us. But I don’t like to use the * Creating thewinCanada word actually.Emergency However, being Businessrecognized Account to up to $25 for provide our commitment was billion toa eligible financial institutions real honour.

If you want to know the truth, it was a pretty humbling so they can provide interest-free loans I saidbusinesses to CBC when they of up to experience. $40,000 toAssmall phoned me after the conference, I was and not-for-profits, to help cover their just floored, really couldn’t believe it.

operating costs during a period where CMB: Sohave now been that you have been their revenues temporarily reduced;recognized, do you think that will

draw more attention and garner more nominations out of Atlantic Canada * Deferring income tax payment for going forward?

all Canadian businesses, including DF: Absolutely. We’ve gotten a lot agribusinesses, until after August 31, of good press highlighting the island 2020; cattle industry. I’m positive you’ll see

more farms in our neck of the woods

* Deferring Goodsnext andyear.

Services Tax/to give nominated And I have Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) the Canadian Cattleman’s Association recognition for choosing a farm from payments until June, as well as customs Princefor Edward Island. are small duties owed imports forWe businesses, in the national beef industry includingplayers self-employed individuals; and I think it was a real credit to their organization to recognize us. They * Extending loan deadlines for all treated all the nominees royally and it farmers was witha outstanding real class act. loans It was aunder wonderful the Advance Payments Program; experience.

* Extending the enrollment deadline from April 30, 2020 to July 3, 2020 meatbusiness.ca

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ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN ANNOUNCE MEASURES TO SUPPORT CATTLE PRODUCERS Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Devin Dreeshen announced $17.3 million under AgriRecovery, which will fund the 40% provincial contribution for total $43.2 million fed cattle set aside program. This program is intended for beef producers to hold back harvest-ready cattle on a maintenance ration for several weeks, allowing the supply of market ready animals to more evenly match demand and reduced processing capacity.

Cattle producers will be partially compensated for the additional feed costs until the backed-up inventory is cleared.

Western Livestock Price Insurance Program (WLPIP).

The Saskatchewan government will provide 40% of the increased premium costs, dating back to February 25, 2020.

Additionally, on May 14, an announcement was made to extend the deadline for obtaining calf price insurance across all WLPIP participating provinces from May 28, 2020 to June 18, 2020.

This announcement follows the federal government announcement on May 5, which earmarked up to $50 million in funding for a set-aside program through AgriRecovery, of which the federal government covers 60% of costs. The combined funding between the federal and Alberta government for a set-aside program under AgriRecovery is expected to be approximately $43.2 million.

On May 14, Agriculture Minister David Marit announced $10 million in additional funding to help Saskatchewan livestock producers manage the impacts of COVID-19 related market disruptions. With this announcement, the Saskatchewan government will fund the 40% provincial contribution to the AgriRecovery set-aside program. Saskatchewan livestock producers will now be able to access a total of $12.5 million under the setaside program.

The support includes $5 million for Saskatchewan’s share of the costs associated with participation in the national AgriRecovery set-aside program and $5 million to partially offset higher premium costs under the 16 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS 16

May 20204 March/April

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THE BEST DEFEN A STRONG OFFE PROMOTING THE HEALTH BENEFITS

By Ronnie P. Cons

Red meat is often wrongly portrayed as being unhealthy. E some in the media as unhealthy or not environmentally fri Vegan, fish and other non-meat diets have been proposed as healthier alternatives. The result of this onslaught of negative meat messages has influenced many families to cut back on their meat and poultry purchases. Perceptions may reality but truth trumps misinformation. Parents and other consumers want what is best for their health and that of their families.

They are also aware that a lot of false information is out there and as such, are open to scientific facts that can correct their teams throughout the pandemic and beyond.” says misconceptions.

ONTARIO MEAT PROCESSORS APPLAUD INVESTMENT IN COVID-19 AGRI-FOOD WORKPLACE PROTECTION Meat & Poultry Ontario (MPO) welcomes the announcement made by the federal and provincial governments that they will invest $2.25 million to provincially licensed meat processing plants to protect employees and ensure a continued supply of products to consumers.

Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, MarieClaude Bibeau, with Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Ernie Hardeman and Ontario Minister of Labour, Monte McNaughton announced May 8 that $2.25 million on funding will be distributed through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The funding will provide support for provincially licensed meat plants to implement COVID-19 health and safety measures including personal protective equipment, redesigning workstations, employee support and work-site mobility and transportation. The application process will open on May 12, 2020 through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the approval process will be expedited.

Ontario’s 500+ Provincial Meat Plants have been instrumental in insuring continued supply of meat and poultry to consumers. This funding comes at ideal time to help plants increase their processes to protect their staff and the supply of food for Ontarians.

MPO President, Carole Goriup.

This provides an opportunity for retail meat departments to implement an instore ‘Healthy Meat Facts’ nutritional MPO commends federal andand provincial campaign to set thethe record straight convince their customers that meat and poultrythe are health actuallyand good for one’s governments for prioritizing safety of health and agri-food that they should increase rather than decreasefood essential workers and ensuring Ontario’s their purchases of it. The campaign outlined below can have supply chain remains strong during the pandemic. a direct impact on sales: Start displaying instore posters Forby more information, visit promoting the nutritional value of meat. They should be innovative, eye catching and https://www.meatpoultryon.ca/ be designed to specifically contradict any meat myths. The comments should all be literature based quoting research papers or MDs for maximum effect. Various posters should be made - each with a brief but powerful message covering one theme.

Posters can convey the following healthy meat fact messages: 1. Let’s IRON out the Truth on Meat!

“You would need to eat a massive amount of spinach to equal (the iron content) in a steak,” says Christopher Golden, an ecologist and epidemiologist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (As quoted by nature.com in the article ‘Brain food- clever eating’.)

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“Every dollar invested in preventative care of our essential workers is investing in sustainable supply of food for all Ontarians.” says MPO Executive Director, Franco Naccarato.

Ronnie P. meat and

“Meat processing employees are essential to Ontario’s food supply, and their safety is a top priority for us.

This funding will help processors continue to make improvements that will ensure the safety of their

22 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS September/October 2017 https://www.mmequip.com

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STATEMENT FROM CANADIAN BEEF INDUSTRY CONFERENCE CBIC GOES VIRTUAL FOR 2020

As 2020 continues to unfold, the Canadian beef industry and the world are in unknown territory and all regularly scheduled events are adapting. Our board (compromised of the Beef Cattle Research Council, Canada Beef, Canadian Beef Breeds Council, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, National Cattle Feeders Association) have made the difficult decision to postpone our conference scheduled for August 11-13th, 2020 until August 17-19th, 2021 in Penticton, British Columbia.

“It is unfortunate that we are unable to meet face-toface in 2020, but there are a lot of factors that we had to consider in these extraordinary times,” says Judy Guichon, Chair of CBIC. “We are excited that B.C. will still be able to host the event in 2021 and showcase everything B.C. has to offer!”

In these unprecedented times with so many unknown circumstances the board wanted to ensure that the conference would meet the expectations of our delegates, sponsors and partners.

“2020 has not gone as planned for any individual, and as an industry the best thing we can do is continue to support one another through these challenging times and remain optimistic about our future,” says 2019 Chair and feedlot owner Ryan Kasko. “We can’t thank our partners, sponsors and delegates enough for their cooperation and support as we continue to find our path through this situation.”

CBIC is in the process of planning a virtual conference for Aug 11-13th, 2020 so the Canadian beef industry can connect, learn, and support one another. This event will be offered as a free online tool for the entire industry. As an integral part of the connectivity pillar in the National Beef Strategy, CBIC wants to continue to offer an opportunity for the industry to come together.

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For more information, visit https:// canadianbeefindustryconference.com

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MESSE FRANKFURT TAKES OVER MANAGEMENT OF PROCESS EXPO Messe Frankfurt is continuing its collaboration with the American industrial association FPSA (Food Processing Suppliers Association), owner of the trade fair Process Expo. As of 1 May 2020 Messe Frankfurt’s North American subsidiary will take over the management of Process Expo.

processing and packaging of meat, dairy products, drinks, fruit and vegetables, bakery products and confectionary, plus pet food. This trade fair also offers opportunities for networking and further-training programmes for all branches of food and beverage and all sectors of the packaging industry.

Process Expo, “The Global Food Equipment and Technology Show”, has been held every two years in Chicago since 2011 and is the biggest trade fair for all food and beverage processing in the USA.

Process Expo will complement Messe Frankfurt’s portfolio in the field of food technologies. Four trade fairs currently belong to this cluster, consisting of the IFFA in Frankfurt, Tecno Fidta in Buenos Aires, and Modern Bakery and the Salon du Chocolat in Moscow.

These international trade shows track the dynamic growth in the food processing industry and promote innovative solutions to sustainable and responsible food handling for a growing global population.

Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, explains: “Particularly in this challenging time for business, I am all the more pleased that we can continue and deepen our partnership with our American colleagues at the FPSA. In future we shall be organising Process Expo in Chicago and working decisively to build it up into an even stronger platform for the international food industry. We are ideally situated to do so, since with a portfolio of four trade fairs in the food-processing sector, we have a thorough knowledge of the industry and many years’ experience.”

“We are extremely pleased to have Messe Frankfurt manage Process Expo 2021 which will take place October 12th through the 15th 2021 at McCormick Place” said Matt Malott, Chairman of the Food Processing Association (FPSA) and President and CEO/ President of Multivac INC. “Messe Frankfurt, as one of the world’s largest show organizers, brings an incredible wealth of expertise and organizational knowledge which will make our 2021 show an even more successful event that all attendees will find of great value.”

The first Process Expo, run by Messe Frankfurt, will be held from 12 to 15 October 2021 in McCormick Place in Chicago.

Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organizer with its own exhibition grounds. With more than 2,600 employees at 30 locations, the company generates annual sales of around $1 billion.

At the last Process Expo in autumn 2019 some 500 exhibitors showcased their innovations to an international trade public. Process Expo has a broad product range and shows technical solutions for the 20 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS 20

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For more information, visit https:// www.myprocessexpo.com/

NEW SURREY SLAUGHTERHOUSE ‘WOULD CRSB OPEN DOOR’ LAUNCHES SERIES OFTO WEBINARS NEW BEEF MARKETS

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) is increasingly important to the sustainability of the launching a series of webinars on a variety of topics this Canadian beef industry. In this webinar, participants will Proposed 30,000-square-foot beef abattoir in Cloverdale would be B.C.’s largest such facility spring to help the industry stay connected and provide explore what mental health looks like, how to recognize

By Amy Reid, Arch News valuable opportunities forPeace learning and engagement. the signs of struggle in yourself and others and knowing for resources or immediate help. so as toto notturn emit odours.

And while there is an operational A federally licensed beef processing facility is in the works where 6,000-square-foot abattoir on the property now, it’s can in Surrey, BC. Foresight with Focus - Understanding 2020 Food Trends only process a limited number of cattle. a new building coming forward, a new abattoir, I ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR CANADIAN BEEF May 26 – 12:00“There’s p.m. MDT Chris Les is general manager of Meadow Valley Meats, think that’s the French pronunciation of slaughterhouse,” JUNE 9 – 9:00 A.M. MDT the company behind the project. Meadow Valley Meats is said Councillor Mike Starchuk. “So Surrey will have a seeking a Canadian Food Inspection Agency license for newer facility with a betterFood capacity so people will have Join Jo-Ann McArthur of Nourish Marketing the proposed abattoir, to become a federally registered the ability to not have to ship an animal to Alberta to have presents insights from their 2020 Food Market Network Leading experts provide economic outlooks for meat establishment and expand the operation. This would it processed. The applications have gone through the Report, as well Agricultural as how trends may have shifted as a the Canadian food system.

Justinbeyond Sherrard, allow the meat products to be transported B.C.’s Global and Food Sustainability Advisory Committee.” boundaries. Animal Protein with Rabobank will provide result of COVID-19.

Strategist, The facility is proposed on a 25-acre property within the focus is on trying tooutlook. bring a more efficient, sustainable Agricultural Land Reserve at 5175 184th St. The planned a “Our global economic Craig Klemmer of Farm local product to the market, realizing we can do that now 30,000-square foot abattoir in Cloverdale would process up Len Kahn of Kahntact will offer additional insight on the Credit Canada will provide perspective on the entire in a very limited sense,” said Les. “I caution people when to 100 head of cattle per day. top three trends affecting agriculture specifically.

Canadian agricultural system, talking to them and they say,and ‘Whatfood a big plant, that’sand goingBrain According to a city report, that would make it larger than to go allow to go mainstream.’

Well,an yes, if you look outlook for Perillat of you Canfax will provide economic any other processing facility in B.C.. But it would still be in the context of B.C., but this is still a very niche plant small by industry standards, compared to the largest meat Understanding and promoting mental health in the industry specifically. andCanadian we’ll serve a beef niche industry for producers and for the processing plants in Alberta that process 3,000 heads of market. It’s certainly not going to be a monstrosity of a plant Agriculture cattle per day. but it’ll be a big upgrade from the site currently.” more information, June 2 – 9:00 a.m.

MDT facility would be fully enclosed and designed For The proposed visit https://crsb.ca/about-us/events/ Continued on page 32 Now more than ever before, mental health is

meatbusiness.ca

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COVID-19 AND AGRICULTURE - SURVIVING THE “NEW NORMAL”

BY MARILYN BRAUN-POLLON It has been a difficult couple of months for all of us as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the personal stress and uncertainty, the pandemic and the economic fallout has left many small businesses struggling to survive. The effects of the pandemic have also been devastating to agri-businesses.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has been surveying our members every week for 10 weeks since the COVID-19 crisis unfolded. It is clear from the hundreds of survey comments from agri-business owners that the agriculture sector is not immune to the many short-term business challenges and the long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, 40 per cent of agri-business owners say the “new normal” will not be sustainable for their agribusiness.

impact on beef, pork and poultry producers as well as backgrounding and feedlot operators. As animals are kept on-farm longer, feed bills and losses are continuing to mount. Prices are plummeting for beef and pork producers while consumers may face rising costs for protein at grocery stores. Many in the industry are estimating it will take many months to recover from the backlog and the repercussions of this crisis could last much longer.

In addition to the effects on livestock operators and the meat processing sector, the impacts of the pandemic are being felt right across the agriculture sector. Many farmers have taken a significant hit to their bottom line due to changing market demand and the shortage of skilled labour. Mandatory closures of restaurants and other small businesses have dried up demand for many agri-food products. Vegetable and horticultural growers have destroyed crops and/or radically changed or cut their cropping plans due to a shortage of skilled workers. Dairy farmers have been dumping milk for weeks.

The grain sector is trying to recover from a difficult 2019 harvest, transportation issues and trade and market access issues. CFIB has been hearing from farmers still trying to harvest last year’s crop and continues to hear about costly carbon taxes paid on propane and natural gas used to dry grain last fall and over the winter months.

COVID-19 outbreaks in the meat processing sector continues to significantly reduce slaughter capacity across North America and is having a devastating 22 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS 22

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How do we survive and thrive in this “new normal”?

Will government policy start to more strongly recognize the importance of our food supply? Will the issue of food security start to dominate discussions in government? For the first time in a long time, Canadians are finally starting to take note of how precarious the food supply really is and what an intricate, complex system is in place to get their food to the dinner table.

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Unfortunately, food producers say the recent emergency relief for the agriculture sector and current business risk management programs will not work for most. CFIB’s recent survey found only 29 per cent of farmers say the federal emergency funding will be helpful. The federal government has indicated “these measures are an initial investment and if we need to add more we well” – well the time is now to do more.

Canadian farmers and those in the food supply chain produce some of the safest and highest quality food in the world. We must work to ensure our agriculture sector is supported during and after this crisis.

Additional emergency relief is urgently needed for the entire industry to protect Canada’s food supply.

As one farmer said “Investing in our food industry has never been more important than now.” I couldn’t agree more. Let’s hope more is done soon.

That’s why CFIB called on the federal government to provide emergency funding to the agriculture sector to offset lost income resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Business Risk Management programs just aren’t adequate to deal with the magnitude of this crisis. Red tape and barriers to interprovincial trade in agri-food products especially as it relates to meat inspection need to be dealt with.

Labour shortages must be addressed and temporary foreign workers continue to be an important part of our food supply work force. Propane, natural gas and aviation fuel used for farming activities must be exempted from the federal carbon tax. And governments need to continue to focus on trade and restoring market access for agricultural products.

Our provincial governments are taking first steps to reopening their economies and we all know it will be a long time before we are back to pre-pandemic business. But a longer-term vision will be needed to address some of the vulnerabilities in our food supply chain. If we are to hit the federal government’s goal of increasing Canada’s agriculture exports to $75 billion by 2025, these issues and many others will need much more attention in the coming months.

The federal government has announced $252 million in emergency relief which included a $77.5 million Emergency Processing Fund, $50 million Surplus Food Purchase Program and $125 million in AgriRecovery funding including $50 million each for cattle and hog producers.

CFIB also recognizes the government’s work in ensuring temporary foreign workers can come for the critical planting season and helping farmers offset the cost of quarantining workers for two weeks. The new 3-year Agri-Food Pilot will also help fill ongoing labour needs and provide a pathway to permanent residency which CFIB has advocated for in the past.

We understand there are enormous challenges in designing support programs and getting them out quickly, so we appreciate the government’s willingness to change and improve emergency programs such as the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA), based on feedback from small businesses and groups like CFIB.

Marilyn Braun-Pollon is the Vice-President of Western Canada & Agri-business for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). CFIB has 110,000 small and medium-sized member businesses (7,200 agribusiness members) across Canada.

Small Business Resources: Dealing with COVID-19 Free Introductory Membership: Join CFIB! Already a Member? Refer a Friend!

May 2020 CANADIAN MEAT BUSINESS 23 100TH ISSUE | March/April 2019 23

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