Food Processors Prepared when Dealing with COVID-19

Canada's food supply chains have worked incredibly well dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

With the exception of some hoarding at the beginning of this crisis, more than a month ago, Canadians for the most part have been able to buy what they need from their favorite grocery store, when they need it. But some cracks are starting to form...mostly around our meat industry. The Cargill beef plant in High River is down to only 1 shift a day, in order to keep workers safely at a distance from each other. That means the plant is now slaughtering only half the number of animals it was, just a week ago. Just south of here, a major pork slaughtering plant is closed indefinitely in South Dakota, after hundreds of workers contracted the virus. Officials said on the weekend, a big portion of overall cases in that state, were workers at that one plant. The Smithfield plant produces roughly 8 percent of all pork consumed in the US on a daily basis.

 

So what happens if multiple meat plants across the nation suddenly have to shut down because too many employees are getting sick?  According to the Federal Ag Minister, Marie Claude Bibeau, it is a huge challenge processors have to go through.  If the business decides to shut down she hopes it is a short disruption period so that the business may put the proper protocols in place for the safety of their staff and get back up and running.

 

Provincial Ag Minister, Devin Dreeshen also states the province has saw that there may be disruptions due to COVID-19.  According to Dreeshen, the province has been working with food processors, Alberta Health, labour, the CFIA, and unions, to make sure there are plans for these essential businesses continue to operate.  They have also developed a business resumption protocol for these businesses in case an employee contracts COVID-19, so they may get the facility sanitized, cleaned, and get the business back up and running as soon as possible.  

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.