The federal government of Canada has announced plans to launch a pilot project on agricultural immigration, which, according to industry representatives, could help fill hundreds of vacancies in meat processing plants in Alberta.
Although details of the program have not been announced, the federal program pledges to open a full-time pilot immigration agency to recruit non-seasonal agricultural workers. The program says that the goal of the pilot project is to “achieve Canada’s ambitious export goals, and to attract and retain the necessary workforce.”
For years, labor shortages in the Canadian agricultural sector have been a constant problem affecting everything from family farms to greenhouses and feedlots. Some of the most serious chronic labor problems exist in meat processing plants and slaughterhouses, where industry officials say the lack of workers limits Canada’s ability to meet market needs.
According to a study by the Canadian Council on Human Resources in Agriculture in 2017, the vacancy rate at meat processing plants in rural areas is approximately 9.3%. At the time of the study, there were 1,475 vacant positions for meat grinders in 15 slaughterhouses across Canada. In Alberta, where 80 to 90 percent of the beef produced at the national level is processed, the majority of job openings are in rural areas. The Canadian Meat Council claims that labor shortages result in losses of $ 750 million per year for meat processing plants, as well as $ 396 million in lost sales for the respective value chain manufacturers.