Despite processor closures and slow downs, industry keeping up with demand.   Ottawa-Buoyed by record exports in 2019, the Canadian beef industry had high expectations for 2020, which has turned into a hectic scramble to direct meat intended for the food service sector to food stores, says Michael Young, President of Canada Beef. Through the first months of 2020, demand for Canadian beef is up 30 per cent driven at first by consumer fears of shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, Young said. But with beef still available, demand has stayed steady and there has been 107 per cent increase in consumer downloads of beef cooking recipes. In response to stay at home calls by governments, “Canadians are rediscovering the joys of cooking. They're cooking cuts they've never bought before.” In response, Canada Beef is “working hard at getting out cooking tips,” he said. “We've learned a lot from this experience.” The Canada Beef webpage is loaded with recipes and cooking tips. Retailers are also helping people select appropriate cuts of beef and providing cooking suggestions. There was quite a substantial inventory of beef at the start of the year, much of it in large cuts, Young said. “We encouraged the retailers to handle those cuts themselves to help the packing plants throughput and productivity. Retailers have been educating consumers on how to cut up meat and save it in their freezers.” Much of the beef that went to the food service and restaurant sector was ground beef, which is also suitable for consumers cooking at home. Cattle and beef trade between Canada and the U.S. remains open, which will help fill any gaps. Keeping up with the demand has been complicated by the closure or partial shutdown of major packing plants but Young thinks those problems will be dealt with and consumer supply will continue. “The market will be down for a while and prices may go up. There will be some backup in the fat cattle market and some of those animals could go to the U.S.” Beef farmers need financial help with the cost of keeping these animals longer. While export sales have slowed compared to 2019, “it's too early to tell how the year will go,” he said. “We were set up for a good year and now it's like we're back in the BSE era.” At least this time the safety of beef is not the problem. Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.