Farm Labour Big Concern With COVID-19 Outbreak

Mar 16, 2020

The impact of the COVID-19 outbreak is being felt around the world.

The story is no different for agriculture here at home.

National Farmers Union (NFU) President Katie Ward talked about one of the major impacts of the virus.

"A big concern is going to be the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, and what impact health screening or isolation measures are going to have on that program," she said. "We've started investigating that ourselves in the National Farmers Union and we're hoping to have advice for our members coming up shortly."

Manitoba Pork Chair George Matheson agreed with that sentiment.

"Probably our greatest concern right now is if there were large scale infections of it that might affect the workforce," he said. "Number one for their own health issues and also that work at barns, work at the two major packing plants, and even the smaller packing plants in Manitoba, would be under pressure."

Manitoba Pork has postponed its March 25 AGM until further notice.

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Video: How to Capture the $80 Million Ground Pork Opportunity | 2026 Retail Trends

Meat is having a moment, and ground pork is perfectly positioned to help you capture new category growth.

In this business intelligence deep-dive, National Pork Board experts Bailey Morrell and Rick Smith break down the latest consumer behaviors, retail trends, and an $80 million incremental retail opportunity in ground pork.

Watch to learn how expanding your ground pork offerings, utilizing proper fat-lean ratio labeling, and building a dedicated "grinds set" can attract Gen Z and Millennial shoppers while driving "center of the plate" profitability.

we cover:

• Insights from the 2026 Power of Meat presentation.

• Why ground pork is the "gateway meat" for younger, high-value shoppers.

• How adding just two new ground pork SKUs can drive incremental sales.

• Actionable merchandising strategies, including the right fat-lean ratios for specific recipes.