Shortage of Meat Processing Plant Workers Expected to Be More Apparent as New Trade Agreements Take Effect

 
The Director of International Trade, Government and Media Relations with the Canadian Meat Council, says, as new free trade agreements come into force, lost opportunities in Canada's meat processing sector as a result of a shortage of workers will increase

Feb 25 - The federal government has announced plans to launch a full-scale review of the recently revised Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

Revisions that have hurt meat processors were the annual reductions in the allowable number of foreign workers from 30 percent to 20 percent to 10 percent and the reduction in the period of time foreign workers can remain in Canada from 2 years to 1 year and in the renewal from 2 years to 1 year.

Ron Davidson, the Director of International Trade, Government and Media Relations with the Canadian Meat Council, says timing of this review is extremely important.

“We have plants today that are operating with 100 or 200 empty positions,” Davidson said during a recent Farmscape.ca interview. “These plants have opportunities to produce more value added products, just waiting to export.”

He explained how Canada has an advantage in the agriculture food industry and is virtually missing opportunities as a direct result of worker shortages.

“It's even more important as we look forward to the new export opportunities provide by the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Canadian Europe trade agreement,” he added. “Currently we don't have workers to increase production for these new export markets and we really do need the exports.”

Davidson says it's important to have the workers to keep our plants competitive so they can stay in business even until we gain access to these new export markets.