A group representing Canada’s farmers has sounded the alarm over a pending beef shortage as a result of plant shutdowns caused by COVID-19.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) on Wednesday urged the federal government to provide emergency support to Canadian meat producers.

“Farmers need emergency support so we can take care of our livestock until the plants ramp up again,” Deleau Manitoba mixed farmer and NFU board member Ian Robson said in a release.

“Health and safety come first, but you can’t tell the cows to stop eating and growing until the crisis is over.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured consumers on Tuesday that the temporary COVID-19-forced closure of Cargill Inc.’s High River, Alta. plant would not result in “any tangible difference” in supply.

"We are not at this point anticipating shortages of beef, but prices might go up," Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday.

"We will of course be monitoring that very, very carefully," he added.

The Cargill plant, as well as the JBS Plant in Brooks, Alta. – which has also reduced operations due to the coronavirus’ spread – account for 70 per cent of Canada’s beef processing capabilities, according to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

The NFU said that demand for cattle has “collapsed”, and warned that without intervention, the “difference between the price of cattle and grocery store beef will end up harming both farmers and consumers while enhancing the already large profits of JBS and Cargill.”

NFU member Iain Aitken blamed tight control of the industry for potentially jeopardizing Canada’s beef supply.

“Excessive concentration of ownership and centralization of beef processing, supported and encouraged by our federal and provincial governments, has now put the health of workers, the beef supply and the livelihoods of thousands of farmers in jeopardy,” Aitken, a Manitoba beef producer, said in the release.

“The COVID-19 crisis is a wake-up call and an opportunity to rebuild our economy in ways that work for people, and which have the resilience to manage the crisis conditions that will undoubtedly occur in the future,” he added.