Meat industry groups are asking the federal government to reinstate a program that expanded industry hiring limits for temporary foreign workers (TFWs) and lengthened the validity of paperwork needed for hiring, citing work shortages and impact on food prices.
Meat industry calls on federal gov to ease foreign worker limits
U.S. packer profit margins jumped 300 per cent during pandemic, economists say
Increased costs don't explain higher profits, White House advisors say
Washington | Reuters — Four of the biggest meat-processing companies, using their market power in the highly consolidated U.S. market to drive up meat prices and underpay farmers, have tripled their own net profit margins since the pandemic started, White House economics advisers said. Financial statements of the meat-processing companies — which control 55 to […] Read more
Alberta’s cattle sector takes a direct hit from pandemic
Packing plant closures create a backlog that quickly affects the entire production chain
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s going to be painful, but hopefully COVID-19 in packing plants won’t turn into a nightmare scenario, say the president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and a leading food industry expert. Alberta’s two big facilities — Cargill’s High River plant and JBS’s Brooks plant — process nearly 75 per cent of the country’s beef. Combined, […] Read more
Canada dilutes plan to limit temporary foreign workers
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s Liberal government on Thursday watered down measures to limit the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers firms can hire after complaints the restrictions would cause major labour shortages. Under rules introduced by the previous Conservative administration, the number of low-skilled foreign workers a firm could employ would have dropped to […] Read more
iPhone-based program gives meat processors full traceability
BioLinks software also tracks sales and manages inventory
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re a small meat processor, you can now manage your entire operation using your iPhone and a personal computer, thanks to an Alberta-created program called BioLinks. “I wouldn’t want to run our business without BioLinks,” said Tim Hofer, manager of the Pine Haven Colony Meat shop. The meat shop was a participant in the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
