February 5, 2022

Alberta, Canada cattle industry calls for protests to end

The Alberta Beef Producers, Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association and the Canadian Cattlemen's Association has called for a resolution to the six-day protest in the capital city of Ottawa protesting vaccine mandates for truckers at the border, as it is badly affecting the country's beef supply chain, CBC News reported.

Bob Lowe, president of the the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, said 50% of their business relies on export.

Due to the border shutdown, producers are unable to obtain feed from the US and meatpackers are unable to export products to the US.

The Canadian Meat Council said there is estimated backlog of 150 loads of frozen meat at the border. But that number has likely gone down as the blockade has eased over the past few days.

The protest at Coutts, Alberta is the only point of entry to examine livestock shipments for export.

The US is the biggest importer of beef from Canada, with about CND 3 billion (~US$2.36 billion; CND 1 = US$0.79) worth of meat imported between January to November 2021.

The Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association said because of the delays and incapability to ship products, the processing plants cannot process as much beef. This means processors are not accepting more cattle, resulting in producers and feedlot operators having to retain their cattle longer and adding strain to their feed supply.

Nate Horner, Canada's Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Minister, said in a series of tweets that he has discussed with stakeholders to understand their situations, adding that COVID-19 restrictions will end soon, and the blockade is badly affecting the country's agriculture industry.

-      CBC News