COVID-19 Crisis Pummels Alberta’s Beef Industry

COVID-19 Crisis Pummels Alberta’s Beef Industry

Michelle Pinon News Advertiser

COVID-19 is not just a health crisis, it’s an economic crisis that is crippling many industries, including agriculture.

The beef industry, one of the largest in Alberta, is fighting to remain viable. Melanie Wowk, Vice-Chair of the Alberta Beef Producers, (ABP), stated, “It is a huge, huge concern of the industry right now. We are looking at possible revenue losses of upward of $500 million by the end of June. It is very similar as to what happened during BSE. It’s pretty much catastrophic.”

Wowk, who ranches with her husband, near Myrnam explained, “We are not able to ship anything right now. People that perhaps have cows that are open, that aren’t going to calve, bulls that they want to move; we can’t move any of that right now because of the lack of ability to process those animals now. The feedlots are full.”

Wowk pointed out that Cargill’s processing plant in High River, that has been temporarily closed, and JBS in Brooks, account for 80 percent of the cattle processed in Canada. “So you can imagine the backlog in just one day.” While consumers can buy directly off the farm, the problem is that the small processing plants are overbooked and can’t take any more cattle. “The immediate need is to get meat on the shelves, and keep producers in business.”

Melanie Wowk is the Vice-Chair of the Alberta Beef Producers and farms in the Myrnam area. (Alberta Beef Producers/Submitted Photo)

She also wanted to reiterate that the meat that is on grocery store shelves is perfectly safe. “We want to make it clear that coronavirus is not transferred from animal to people or vice versa. “Most of these corona cases that are coming up are from person to person contact outside these processing plants. A lot of these people work together and ride together, and it’s got nothing to do with meat being contaminated.”

Wowk added, the BDP has also been trying to work not only with the provincial government, but also the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, who has been really lobbying the federal government to get some programs so that we at least can help each other out in the short term right now.

We are really pushing for a set-aside program. That really takes the pressure off the feedlots that have animals ready to go. It gives them some revenue which will help them to continue to feed those animals until the plants are up to full capacity again. It would also allow some relief for the cow-calf industry for things like cull cows and cull bulls.

The other two things we’ve talked to them about is ag. stability and ag. recovery. That again is what producers pay into and depending on your farm income, either triggers a payment or not. ABP has also discussed the possibility of having this crisis deemed an agricultural disaster

in the province, which will trigger the ag. recovery program. “So that way everyone gets a piece of it, not just the producers who paid into it.”

Wowk said she would like producers to send a letter to their MLA’s. A sample letter appears on the ABP’s website, and it outlines their concerns and type of assistance that would be beneficial at this time. “We just feel the more people we have doing this, and the more support we have, that’s it’s a continual reminder to the provincial government that we’re in big trouble and we need some help.”

ABP represents more than 18,000 cattle producers in the province