Cooking up a Thanksgiving feast? Here’s where turkey prices stand

At this year’s Thanksgiving, Canadians volition find a “significant” proviso of full turkeys and astatine “really bully prices,” farmers say.

The quality earlier the vacation play volition apt beryllium a invited respite for galore aft caller years of precocious ostentation and soaring market prices.

Demand for turkey typically spikes astir this clip of the year, with much than a 3rd (37 per cent) of full turkey income for 2023 happening astatine Thanksgiving, according to the Turkey Farmers of Canada.

With the menace of avian influenza — which impacted the turkey assemblage a mates of years agone — having subsided, proviso has accrued this year, said Darren Ference, seat of the Turkey Farmers of Canada.

“This twelvemonth there’s been nary signs of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza),” helium told Global News successful an interrogation Monday.

“The stocks are really up. This year, I deliberation we were up astir 4 oregon 5 per cent implicit past twelvemonth connected frozen stocks, truthful supplies volition beryllium good.”

So acold this year, avian influenza has impacted astir 67,300 birds connected 9 commercialized and non-commercial premises, according to information the Canadian Food Inspection Agency shared with Global News.

Out of these, astir 50,000 turkeys person been affected by the virus, said Michael Di Mambro, nationalist incidental manager astatine the CFIA.

These cases were detected successful Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

However, determination has been nary avian flu detection successful Canada since April 10.

Stringent biosecurity measures and accrued vigilance are paying off, farmers say.

“The outbreak of avian influenza has subsided significantly, and that is owed successful portion to our farmers’ committedness to producing top-quality turkeys and adherence to strict biosecurity protocols,” said Matt Steele, vice-chair of the Turkey Farmers of Ontario.

“Turkey farmers crossed Canada, crossed Ontario, adhere to on-farm nutrient information programs and flock attraction programs that are mandatory and reviewed each twelvemonth and truthful that decidedly contributes to the reduced occurrences of avian flu crossed Canada, for sure.”

Turkey farms successful British Columbia were impacted heavy by avian influenza past twelvemonth and successful 2022, but since March, they’ve returned to “full production,” said Natalie Veles, enforcement manager of the B.C. Turkey Marketing Board.

“Stocks are looking truly bully heading into Christmas and Thanksgiving, and consumers shouldn’t person a occupation uncovering the turkey of their prime astatine a market store adjacent them,” Veles told Global News.

Trending Now

Besides uncovering abundant supply, astir Canadians buying for their turkey dinners tin expect to get a bully worth for their buck, but those prices volition alteration betwixt provinces.

Retail prices that consumers wage astatine the market stores are acceptable by retailers, but sometimes the costs to workplace tin power however overmuch radical volition pay.

Veles said the input costs to rise a turkey, including feed, onshore and labour expenses, person gone up, but they’re inactive seeing “pretty unchangeable pricing.”

“What the husbandman gets paid for their turkey this twelvemonth compared to past twelvemonth has really travel down a small bit, conscionable astir 1 per cent, but we haven’t seen it gone up,” she said.

As for retail prices of turkey, Ference, citing Statistics Canada data, said those person declined 5 per cent compared to past year.

In Canada, an mean turkey of six kilograms, which tin provender up to 13 people, tin outgo $24 to $30, Ference said.

How overmuch you extremity up paying for turkey volition beryllium connected the benignant of vertebrate and wherever you bargain it from.

In B.C., for instance, prices tin scope from $1 to $2 per lb (0.45 kilogram) and volition spell higher if you’re buying a specialty oregon integrated turkey, Veles said.

At past year’s Thanksgiving, astir 2.1 cardinal full turkeys were purchased successful Canada, according to the TFC.

Steele is hoping for accrued income and for Canadians to bargain not 1 but 2 turkeys this Thanksgiving.

“We are seeing a batch of featuring enactment astatine retailers and immoderate truly bully prices retired determination for Canadians to acquisition Ontario-grown and Canadian-grown turkeys,” Steele said.

“So, we’re hopeful for a bully festive play for turkey income this year.”