The decision to close a processing plant as it relates to COVID-19 infection of staff is a complicated one. Food processing plants have strict protocols and clear guidance on food safety issues, but the advent of a human disease pandemic is a new territory for all — processors included. Ultimately, the decision to close a... Read More
Category: Livestock
Ontario's beef producer group has asked both beef and dairy producers to hold back cull cows in an attempt to ease the pinch on beef processing capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Processing backlogs have plagued the eastern Canadian beef sector for many months due to a lack of sufficient processing capacity and plant closures, says... Read More
Olymel says it will be resuming operations at its hog slaughter and cutting plant at Yamachiche, Quebec on Tuesday, April 14 after closing for more than two weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The plant, which normally processes 28 thousand pigs per week, has been closed since March 29, after nine employees tested positive... Read More
It's been a difficult last few weeks in the livestock markets, to say the least. For much of the time we are all focused on making the right decision, but what has been weighing heavily on a lot of people lately has been trying not to make the wrong decision. A wrong decision in the... Read More
The dairy world has been turned upside down seemingly overnight. Whether it's north or south of the Canada/U.S border, dairy farmers have to dump milk as the entire value chain adjusts to the disappearance of restaurant and foodservice dairy demand and a spike in retail demand. Michael Dykes, CEO of the International Dairy and Food... Read More
I've seen over the last few days a lot of stories, comments, and mixed messages about farmers having to dump milk. I thought I'd clear a few things up with my perspective, direct from the farm. We were included in the farmers asked to dump milk. We dumped a little over 4,000 litres of raw,... Read More
The marketing board that oversees the hog industry in Quebec has given more time to the province's pork producers and processors to come to an agreement on how to handle pigs coming from outside the province following the COVID-19-related closure of an Olymel pork processing plant. Ontario pork producers dealing with a backlog of market-ready... Read More
This is an updated story Maple Leaf Foods has closed its Brampton poultry processing plant after a total of three staff members have now tested positive for COVID-19. Initially, the company had announced no closures after individual staff members had tested positive at two plants: the Brampton plant and the Heritage plant at Hamilton, Ont.... Read More
In a time like this, there's so much financial turmoil out there, and many people concerned about what their farm business looks like as we try to get to the other side of COVID-19. We've got major demand deterioration in the protein markets, there's milk dumping going on in parts of the U.S. and Canada... Read More
There are some really great things happening during this COVID-19 pandemic. Families are eating dinner together and reconnecting over board games and puzzles; people are learning new hobbies and skills, such as cooking and baking; and, people of all walks of life are sewing and welding whatever they can to help the health industry fight... Read More