You may have a harder time finding a turkey this holiday season
This time of year brings families together, and a big part of that celebration is the meal. But there are clear signs a staple for most holiday meals will be harder to find this year.
"Everything was good, orders were promised and then they were taken away," said Rick Orr of the Butcher Shop in Brockville, Ont.
Orr said he put an order in for around 400 turkeys in September, but his supplier said they couldn't meet the demand in the popular 19 to 24-pound range.
"That pulls out over 100 birds from that category," Orr said. "We did buy some ones in the smaller categories, but that's not what everybody wants."
Brian Ricker with Turkey Farmers of Ontario says the pandemic has played a big role, disrupting the industry's supply chain.
"It's really unfortunate that the private butcher shops have seemed to have suffered the most," Ricker told CTV News Ottawa.
The industry's turkey stocks are sitting at a 30-year low.
"That's a little lower than what we would feel is comfortable," Ricker said. "The reason that we decreased was that when COVID started we had an over supply, we were at highest stock levels, almost unprecedented stock levels, of whole birds and boneless skinless breast meat."
Customers at the Butcher Shop in Brockville on Tuesday. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
With restaurants closed, and less demand at deli counters, processors asked to reduce production.
"So when we cut production at the beginning of COVID, we thought we did the right thing," added Ricker. "However, people actually ate more whole turkeys than we were anticipating because they couldn't go out to eat so they decided 'Oh, lets buy a turkey and eat at home.'"
That means customers may need to find alternatives for their festive meals this year.
"If we had to, yeah, go with a ham probably. I could do a prime rib," said Butcher Shop customers Ken and Marci Barkley.
"I mean, we always have turkey every year, so I guess I better get my turkey soon if I can," added customer Leah Clifford.
While turkey production did increase over the summer, the industry is still trying to meet demand.
"It’s really hard to spread those birds out evenly to each retail outlet," Ricker said.
"It's a big scramble to see who's getting what and we're trying to do the best we can," added Orr, who has been offering alternatives for customers who might not get a turkey this year.
"I'd probably sooner have the prime rib, but turkey seems to be what people are used to," he said.
Ricker said turkey production is increasing, but producers are careful to match supply with demand.
"We think there's enough turkeys to get people through Christmas, but they just may have to go to a second store for one," he added. "Some retail outlets will be short of birds, and some will have extra birds just because the ebb and flow of this supply situation."
Ricker added the recent flooding in B.C. did not affect the situation in Ontario, where farmers annually produce more than five million pounds of whole turkeys for Christmas.
"We hope that you'll find some type of turkey product to make your festive season go well this Christmas," he said.
The Barkeys said the possible lack of turkey won’t ruin their holiday season.
"Heck no," Ken said. "It's not about the meal, it's about the family."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.