Cases of COVID-19 have begun to appear among fattening corral staff in southern Alberta, a scenario that, if worsening, can disrupt the province’s agricultural industry and even cause animal welfare problems.
Since the beginning of November, five fattening pen operators in southern Alberta have shown “groups” (more than one case) of COVID-19 on their farm, according to the Alberta Livestock Feeder Association. The industry organization told its members in an email earlier this week that there have also been cases in the fattening pens industries, such as road transport and the animal feed source.
“This is a growing problem. So far, she has been very focused on urban centers, yet she is beginning to gain ground in our rural communities,” said Janice Tranberg, president and CEO of the Alberta Livestock Feeder Association. . ” We have to take it seriously because it’s a component of our food source. We want to make sure our food source works effectively. “
The growing number of cases on farms and in the alleys of fattening pens – the nickname of the southern Alberta region that houses many of the province’s extensive livestock farms – coincides with the increase in the number of cases in all regions of the province at this time. COVID-19 [FEMALE. On Thursday, the medical director of health, dr. Deena Hinshaw said the increase in transmission in Alberta includes an increase in cases in rural Alberta.
“COVID-19 doesn’t care what our zip code is,” Hinshaw said on Twitter.
Alberta’s beef industry felt the effects of COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic, when outbreaks among staff at meat processing facilities in North America (including in Alberta at the Cargill High-River plant, where 3 died, and at the JBS plant in Brooks, where an employee died), resulted in closures of transitority plants that left Western Canadian beef slaughter capacity at about 25 cents. percent of normal.
This has led to a huge accumulation of farm animals in a position to market that suddenly have nowhere to go. The industry estimates that at the height of the crisis, Canadian fattening pen operators were wasting $500,000 a day to feed and buy farm animals that would be able to be sent to the slaughterhouse.
The stage has come a long way since then. The Cargill High River plant and the JBS Brooks plant are operating lately at their overall capacity without a recent outbreak Both corporations have implemented strict protection and fitness protocols to support on-site transmission of the virus and livestock are moving backwards into the system.
However, what happened in April shows how the entire agricultural sector is paralyzed or slowed into a component of the chain of origin.
“It’s a very busy season for us,” Tranberg said. What if this enters our trucking industry and those animals are transported well?Then everything goes back along the line.
He added that animal welfare was also a concern, so fattening corral operators would have to have plans to know who would take care of their livestock if a significant number of workers could not come to work.
“If a certain number of other people come to a fattening pen, you still have to take care of those animals,” Tranberg said.
In its email to members, the Alberta Livestock Feeder Association suggested that fattening corral operators take special precautions around staff rooms and vehicle sharing, any of which have been similar to the farm’s transmission. and barns can also be a source of transmission if staff are unmasked and very close to others.
“I think other people are taking this more seriously now and are looking to implement the most productive practices they can,” Tranberg said. “The positive component is that many of the paints on the fattening pens are made outdoors, which reduces some but other people want to paint in combination and make sure they are proactively prepared.
astephenson@postmedia. com
Twitter: @AmandaMsteph
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