Stocks of frozen and chilled meats, January 1, 2023
Released: 2023-02-09
Stocks of frozen and chilled meats in cold storage facilities totalled 139 825 tonnes as of January 1, 2023, increasing 0.6% following two quarters of steady decline (-6.5% from July to October 2022 and -6.8% from April to June 2022). The stocks were down 7.1% on January 1, 2023 from January 1, 2022.
Stocks of frozen and chilled pork (80 307 tonnes) continued to make up the largest proportion of frozen and chilled meats in cold storage facilities in Canada, followed by stocks of frozen and chilled beef (41 198 tonnes).
Chart 1
Canadian quarterly stocks of frozen and chilled meats
A decrease in hog slaughter over the previous two quarters may have contributed to a 10.5% year-over-year decline in stocks of frozen and chilled pork in cold storage facilities as of January 1, 2023. However, stocks of frozen and chilled pork were up 1.9% compared with October 1, 2022, possibly because of an increase in pork imports over the three months preceding January 1, 2023, along with a rise in hog slaughter in the fourth quarter of 2022 when compared with the previous quarter.
Stocks of frozen and chilled beef were up 2.5% on January 1, 2023 compared with the same date a year earlier. A decrease in beef exports over the second half of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021, may have contributed to this year-over-year increase. Stocks of frozen and chilled beef were up 3.0% on January 1, 2023 compared with October 1, 2022. A rise in beef imports in the fourth quarter compared with the third quarter may have contributed to this increase.
As of January 1, 2023, Quebec held 46.2% (37 080 tonnes) of the stocks of frozen and chilled pork nationally, while Ontario held 51.1% (21 070 tonnes) of the stocks of frozen and chilled beef.
Chart 2
Quarterly stocks of frozen and chilled pork meats, by province
Chart 3
Quarterly stocks of frozen and chilled beef meats, by province
Note to readers
This release contains national data on stock holdings for various cuts of pork, beef, veal, mutton and lamb and for fancy meats, as well as regional data for total red meats. This release also includes the holdings of imported meat at the national level.
For the latest information on the Census of Agriculture, visit the Census of Agriculture portal.
For more information on agriculture and food, visit the Agriculture and food statistics portal.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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