Labor shortages due to COVID-19 set to affect meat supply chain

This week marks the start of the annual weaner sales throughout Victoria, and will see large amounts of restocker, and some kill cattle sold to all parts of the country.

Gundagai livestock agent Jake Smith of Elders said there were some "nerves" and "uncertainty" in the agricultural sector due to COVID-19 impacts.

"We had some supply chain issues in 2021 due to COVID-19 and there were abattoirs forced to shut ... we will be on guard for that again in 2022," Mr Smith said.

He encouraged people to be sensible and put a mask on. "Don't rush to a weaner sale just because it's an outing," he said.

"This is something we are learning to live with, and if it's not one thing it's another," he said.

Mr Smith has family members who are health workers. He's acutely aware of the stress the COVID-19 pandemic is placing on the health system.

"There is an overwhelming burden on our hospitals and we all need to do our part," he said.

Meanwhile, the Australian Meat Industry Council I(AMIC) warns is a supply shortage looming unless guarantees are put in place to shore up meat production and supply capacity.

This includes processors, boning rooms, small-goods manufacturers, cold stores, wholesalers, etc through to butcher shops and supermarkets.

"In what is already a hugely challenging meat supply landscape, with record high livestock prices and labour shortages due to COVID-19 border closures, we are hearing that multiple meat processing establishments are now having to temporarily shut their doors or operate at very low capacities due to the Omicron surge", said AMIC chief executive officer Patrick Hutchinson.

"We are experiencing an unprecedented wave of staffing unpredictability. As COVID-19 spreads in the community, our industry workers are unable to present for work for at least seven days should someone in their family or household test positive, under the current national COVID-19 protocol."

"The Australian meat industry needs assurance that it can continue to operate via access to Public Health Order exemptions for those that are asymptomatic close contacts, access to free or low-cost RATs, and prioritised PCR testing and turnarounds, so that we can keep on feeding the people. We don't want to see a return of the early 2020 situation, with widespread supply shortages exacerbated by panic buying."

The first sheep and lamb sale of 2022 at the Wagga Livestock Marketing Centre will take place tomorrow. Livestock agents have drawn for a small yarding of just 12,050 sheep and lambs.