Lost restaurant sales and a virtual drying up of the lucrative European Union market have hurt Western Canadian bison producers.

“Slaughter numbers have dropped over 80 percent from April 4th to May 2nd,” said Les Kroeger, a Hanley bison producer and Chair of the Canadian Bison Association. “That’s a huge hit on producers.”

Rail grade bids have gone from $5 a pound down to $3.50.

“The Swiss market was very big to bison, but they closed their doors to everything. Air freight to Europe has also increased dramatically, up to four-fold,” according to Kroeger.

Live bison are still being sold into the United States for processing, but the severe reduction in domestic slaughter is creating additional costs for bison producers.

“They need to be fed. There are input costs still going into the animals daily and they lose value over time. They become overweight, too old and can’t grade number one anymore.”

Kroeger says some bison producers are selling direct-to-consumer, but there is plenty of competition.

“Beef producers and pork producers— to a certain extent—are doing the same thing. We are all competing for some of that market space. Farm direct marketing is important, but it is a small part of the bison industry.”

Kroeger wants bison included in a $50 million program recently announced by the federal government to provide surpluses to food bans. However, the all important details have not been released to date.

(CJWW)