A group of Saskatchewan ranchers is calling for an investigation into the price of meat.
The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association says it has asked the provincial and federal governments to examine what it calls an “imbalance” between the price producers receive for livestock and the price consumers pay in stores.
The group says many breeders and feedlots are operating at a loss this year. Grass is still scarce on the Prairies, due to last summer’s drought, and the cost of feed grains and fuel has skyrocketed since last year.
But packers and retailers are seeing strong profits this year. Ranchers say they believe slaughterhouses may intentionally reduce the number of shifts to keep wholesale beef prices high and allow cattle supplies to build up in the countryside.
In the United States, the Biden administration has already expressed concerns about rising meat prices and pledged to implement policies to increase competition in the meatpacking industry.
According to Statistics Canada, the retail price of beef shows an increase of 11.2% year over year.
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