At this year’s Thanksgiving, Canadians will find a “significant” supply of whole turkeys and at “really good prices,” farmers say.
The news before the holiday season will likely be a welcome respite for many after recent years of high inflation and soaring grocery prices.
Demand for turkey typically spikes around this time of the year, with more than a third (37 per cent) of whole turkey sales for 2023 happening at Thanksgiving, according to the Turkey Farmers of Canada.
With the threat of avian influenza — which impacted the turkey sector a couple of years ago — having subsided, supply has increased this year, said Darren Ference, chair of the Turkey Farmers of Canada.
“This year there’s been no signs of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza),” he told Global News in an interview Monday.
“The stocks are actually up. This year, I think we were up about four or five per cent over last year on frozen stocks, so supplies will be good.”
So far this year, avian influenza has impacted approximately 67,300 birds on nine commercial and non-commercial premises, according to data the Canadian Food Inspection Agency shared with Global News.
Out of these, roughly 50,000 turkeys have been affected by the virus, said Michael Di Mambro, national incident manager at the CFIA.
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These cases were detected in Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia.
However, there has been no avian flu detection in Canada since April 10.
Stringent biosecurity measures and increased vigilance are paying off, farmers say.
“The outbreak of avian influenza has subsided significantly, and that is due in part to our farmers’ commitment to producing top-quality turkeys and adherence to strict biosecurity protocols,” said Matt Steele, vice-chair of the Turkey Farmers of Ontario.
“Turkey farmers across Canada, across Ontario, adhere to on-farm food safety programs and flock care programs that are mandatory and reviewed every year and so that definitely contributes to the reduced occurrences of avian flu across Canada, for sure.”
Turkey farms in British Columbia were impacted heavily by avian influenza last year and in 2022, but since March, they’ve returned to “full production,” said Natalie Veles, executive director of the B.C. Turkey Marketing Board.
“Stocks are looking really good heading into Christmas and Thanksgiving, and consumers shouldn’t have a problem finding the turkey of their choice at a grocery store near them,” Veles told Global News.
Besides finding abundant supply, most Canadians shopping for their turkey dinners can expect to get a good value for their buck, but those prices will vary between provinces.
Retail prices that consumers pay at the grocery stores are set by retailers, but sometimes the costs to farm can influence how much people will pay.
Veles said the input costs to raise a turkey, including feed, land and labour expenses, have gone up, but they’re still seeing “pretty stable pricing.”
“What the farmer gets paid for their turkey this year compared to last year has actually come down a little bit, just about one 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 have declined five per cent compared to last year.
In Canada, an average turkey of six kilograms, which can feed up to 13 people, can cost $24 to $30, Ference said.
How much you end up paying for turkey will depend on the type of bird and where you buy it from.
In B.C., for instance, prices can range from $1 to $2 per pound (0.45 kilogram) and will go higher if you’re buying a specialty or organic turkey, Veles said.
At last year’s Thanksgiving, roughly 2.1 million whole turkeys were purchased in Canada, according to the TFC.
Steele is hoping for increased sales and for Canadians to buy not one but two turkeys this Thanksgiving.
“We are seeing a lot of featuring activity at retailers and some really good prices out there for Canadians to purchase Ontario-grown and Canadian-grown turkeys,” Steele said.
“So, we’re hopeful for a good festive season for turkey sales this year.”
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