(Dave Bedard photo)

Guelph beef plant idled against COVID-19 outbreak

Cattle set-aside plan en route, BFO says

Agrifood giant Cargill is temporarily halting production at its beef processing plant at Guelph, Ont. in the wake of a significant COVID-19 outbreak among employees. The company announced it would “begin the process to temporarily idle” the Dunlop Drive plant effective Thursday (Dec. 17). “This was a difficult decision for our team who are operating […] Read more

Masks, face shields and plastic barriers between work stations are examples of the health and safety protocols at Cargill to protect workers from COVID-19.

Pandemic-battered beef industry may still be in for a rough ride

While Cargill has improved its pandemic protocols, the union representing plant workers wants to see more changes as they head into contract negotiations this winter

Cargill’s Canadian meat plants have made some progress in rebounding from the initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a possible strike in the new year may pose a major setback for the company and the beef industry. “The company has to fix the structural problems that led to the outbreak,” says Michael Hughes, the […] Read more


(File photo)

U.S. rolls back inspection rules for egg products

New rule to affect 83 U.S. facilities

Chicago | Reuters — The Trump administration said Wednesday it will stop requiring U.S. plants that produce egg products to have full-time government inspectors, in the first update of inspection methods in 50 years. Under a new rule that takes effect immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow companies such as Cargill and Sonstegard […] Read more

The Chop Burger is the first menu item from a full-service restaurant to receive the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) Certified Mark. (CNW Group/Chop Steakhouse + Bar)

Beef sustainability: Playing the long game

Many in the beef supply chain are banking on strengthening demand for certified sustainable beef, through the pandemic and beyond

One of the side effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic is that Canadians have begun to look at the world through a different lens. Priorities have shifted and lifestyles have been altered. Everyone from producers, to small businesses, to global agribusinesses are adjusting to a new-look marketplace. It’s meant a course correction for some organizations, […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

COVID-19 lands at another Cargill meat plant

Five cases linked to case-ready plant in Calgary

Alberta provincial officials have declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Cargill’s meat further-processing plant in Calgary, with five cases of the coronavirus connected to the facility. Provincial chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw tweeted Friday that “there are five cases linked to Cargill Case Ready Meats in #YYC.” Provincial health officials “have visited the plant and […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

McDonald’s resuming all-Canadian beef supply

'Supply adjustment' ends next month, company says

Updated, Aug. 18 — McDonald’s Canada’s pandemic-related “supply adjustment,” in which the burger chain cut its Canadian beef purchases to below 100 per cent, is set to end next month. The Canadian arm of the U.S. fast food giant announced Thursday it will resume its pre-pandemic policy of sourcing 100 per cent Canadian beef, starting […] Read more


(Ceres Global Ag video screengrab via YouTube)

Ceres to buy further into Saskatchewan grain handling

Company taking up Cargill elevator in northeast

Minneapolis grain dealer Ceres Global Ag has made a deal to take its Prairie elevator network a step further northwest. The company announced Thursday it has an agreement in place to buy Cargill’s elevator and “associated assets” at Nicklen Siding, about 30 km north of Tisdale in northeastern Saskatchewan. The elevator, on Canadian National Railway […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

China suspends beef imports from Cargill plant

High River plant on long list of blocked facilities

China has temporarily suspended imports of beef from Cargill’s major beef packing plant at High River, Alta., part of a long list of meat plants blocked in the last half of June. The Reuters news service on Monday published a list of meat packing plants from around the world which during June and early July […] Read more


(Zevei-Wenhui/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. senators question packers over exports to China during pandemic

USDA shows record pork exports to China in April, raising questions about rising U.S. meat prices

Chicago | Reuters — Two prominent U.S. Senate Democrats are pressing America’s top meatpackers to disclose by month’s end how much pork, beef and chicken they shipped to China during the coronavirus outbreak while warning of possible meat shortages at home. The request from Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker increases scrutiny of companies such […] Read more

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

Grain exports flow fast as pandemic lockdowns clear rail capacity

Traffic accelerates on lower coal, crude volumes

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian grain exporters are boosting sales in a slumping global economy, as demand for commodities like oil weakens and frees up railway space. Brisk crop movement in a country that relies heavily on rail is a bright spot during pandemic lockdowns, which have hammered most industries. “We’ve had an almost unlimited […] Read more