I think the agri-food sector as a whole has spent probably over $1 billion in measures to fight COVID. Let's be frank; our members, our meat processors, bore the front of all headlines before government even knew what was going on in trying to figure out what was happening in public health. Our sector worked hand in hand with government officials at all levels to ensure that our employees were safe there. We need their workforce, and we are all about family and protecting our employees.
There was a lot done, and keeping them safe is key for us. We cannot afford to be shut down. We already struggle with labour, so all of the money.... It will take everything to keep protecting our workforce, and we've done that. We did that a long time ago, and now our establishments are safe. I think our employees feel that, and they see that when they walk in every day.
It's an adjustment for everyone, as you know. We all see every day in our day-to-day lives the adjustments we've made. The same thing applies to our members.
We need the workforce. We can't afford to have employees miss. The latest wave of COVID has resulted in an extra 10% vacancy rate among our members on top of the already existing 20% to 35% vacancy rate in our sector, so that 10% is additional. It's taking a toll on processors, and it's taking a toll on producers because it's not just about us. It affects everyone, so we want to keep everybody safe, and I think we've been doing a good job of that.