The price of most meats has gone up during the pandemic, especially beef. (he Canadian Press)

By Rob Mahon

Beef Prices Rising

High Steaks: beef still getting more expensive for consumers

Jan 28, 2022 | 8:00 AM

You’ve probably heard about meat getting more expensive in recent weeks, and while everything is getting pricier to some degree, your next trip to the butcher shop for steaks might be where your wallet takes the biggest hit.

Multiple news outlets and stats keepers have shown the price of beef rising steadily across Canada this past year. One butcher shop in Shellbrook has seen this firsthand.

“Inflation is affecting everything,” said Bill Mumm, manager at Parkland Meats in Shellbrook. “It’s beef that the real price increase is happening, and that’s because of the monopoly Cargill has and how they can dictate prices.”

According to the Financial Post, Cargill Meat Solutions’ plant sees about 40 per cent of the supply of beef for the entire country pass through it. Of course beef is not the only thing getting more expensive for your local butcher.

“Everything keeps going up, not just the meat but wrapping supplies and everything,” Mumm said. “It seems like the biggest one is to buy graded beef, it comes from the most part out of the Cargill plant in High River, Alta.”

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Because the price of packing supplies and the beef itself has gone up, Mumm said local butchers aren’t pocketing any extra money with the rise in beef prices. Prices for other meat, such as chicken, have stayed relatively stable.

“All of our chicken comes from a couple of different plants in Saskatchewan; Wynyard and Saskatoon,” said Mumm. “The more local the supply chain is, the more control the people involved in it have and the more accountability back and forth on the supply chain.”

Pork for Mumm, meanwhile, comes from plants in Moose Jaw, Duck Lake, and Marshland. Because trucks don’t have as far to go to deliver the pork, there’s less of an environmental impact as well.

The recent trucking convoy on its way to Ottawa had some worried about whether there might be further disruptions to a supply chain already strained by COVID-19. So far, however, Mumm said he hasn’t seen the recent convoy affecting his stock.

“As far as trucking goes, it’s all been fine,” said Mumm. “There have been material shortages, different paper and plastic material shortages off and on. I’m not exactly sure of the reason for that, but I’m guessing it has to do with COVID and different factories losing workers.”

Mumm added that there hasn’t been much of a drop in demand for beef at Parkland Meats despite the increasing costs. He also said with restaurants now open again in Saskatchewan and much of the rest of the country, the initial rise in demand brought on by the pandemic has subsided.

“Back when the restaurants were closed, the demand went up and the price was absolutely ridiculous,” Mumm said.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP