Canadian beef exports at a record pace, pork also strong

It is a tough year for Western Canada’s beef cattle producers, who saw pastures wither under intense summer heat and drought, which also caused feedgrain and forage prices to soar, making it difficult to maintain breeding herds. But one part of the beef chain is having a record year — exports. Pork exports are also strong and for once the story is not all about Chinese demand. Data from Statistics Canada that goes to the end of September shows the value of beef and veal exports at $3.23 billion, which is almost equal to the $3.26 billion in revenue that came in all of 2020. With three months of exports still to be counted, it seems certain beef and veal exports will set a substantially larger new record high. The revenue boost is attributed to increased tonnage sold and the rising price of the product. Indeed, the price of meat, like many grocery items as well as other goods and energy, has sharply increased this year. This has prompted some analysts to speculate that higher ...