Premier Alison Redford met with local beef producers, Sunday afternoon, to give them the latest information on the E. coli scare and show her support for Alberta beef.
Premier Redford visited a ranch just north of Calgary to speak with producers and ensure them the Province is doing everything it can to restore faith in the beef industry.
"The cattle that we see behind us here, the cattle that you have driven past today are healthy. We have producers that have excellent operations. We have a high quality product, and we do have one particular processor that is having some regulatory challenges at the moment," explained Premier Redford.
She says she is confident the province can move past this situation, get the XL Foods plant in Brooks reopened, and keep the economy moving forward.
On Thursday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) temporarily suspended the XL Foods meat packing plant's operating licence because it hadn't dealt with the problems that led to the tainted beef products. Food safety officials in Ottawa say the facility will not be allowed to resume operations until it has taken the steps necessary to ensure its products are free of E. Coli.
E. coli was first detected at the plant on September 4 but, it wasn't until September 16 that the public was warned. The head of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency says he isn't sure if the federal alert should have gone out earlier.
"It's hard to say. We'll certainly really delve into that and be transparent with you, because there is nobody trying to fool anybody here, and if that is the case it will be well stated and well documented," explained David Chalack.
He is hopeful the plant will reopen this week however, believes there could be a serious ripple effect if the XL Foods plant doesn't reopen soon.
"If we go through this next week without that plant being able to kill 2,500 head a day, then that has some serious ramifications."
Ranchers are also worried, saying prices have already dropped significantly.
"The biggest problem is (that it's) not in our hands, right. It's out of our hands, it's very frustrating, it's just unfortunate," Airdrie area rancher Wayne Hanson said adding, "The confidence of the consumer is a real priority and we just (have to) make sure that they know that if the meat is cooked properly, that it's all safe."
Over 2,000 people are out of work right now because of the XL Foods plant closure.
This meeting comes on the same day the CFIA made dozens of additions to its list of beef products at risk of possible contamination.
With files from Carolyn Kury De Castillo.
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