A food supply chain expert said beef prices won’t skyrocket, despite the novel coronavirus causing several major meat processing plants to close and reduce staff.
On Sunday, Cargill announced its plant in Chambly, Que., would close after a COVID-19 outbreak among staff. The closure comes about a month after the company had to shut down a major facility in High River, Alta., after more than 900 employees were diagnosed with COVID-19.
That plant, which handles about 70 per cent of all meat processed in the country, has since reopened, but JBS and Harmony Beef, other processors, have also shuttered plants and reduced staff to stop the spread of the virus.