Just days after the Cargill cattle processing facility was shut down due to a massive amount of COVID-19 cases, the second of the only three of its kind is closing it's doors as well.

Alberta provincial health officials confirmed Wednesday that a worker from the JBS meat packing plant near Brooks has died while awaiting results from a COVID-19 test.

As a result, they are starting to close down their facility until they can get a handle on the virus.

Chad Ross and his family own and operate the L7 Ranch outside of Estevan, he is also a member of the Saskatchewan Cattleman's association.

He told us the closure could have a serious impact on the cattle sector across the board.

"It's a trickle-down effect. It goes right down right from the processing all the way to the cull calves.

It just depends on how long this is going to be in place. A long term shutdown could be absolutely devastating to our industry. It could be a real challenge."

As for whether or not this could cause of change in the amount of meat on store shelves, there is a possibility of it happening, but Ross said it is vital that people do not start panicking.

"Definitely it's probably going to be at a higher price than what you're probably used to. Canada beef is working on different types of cuts and that type of thing to keep the cost down for consumers too and growing and marinating options."

The stoppage in works means a lot of cattle that were being prepared for cull will have to wait.

Ross touched on the cost impact that comes with the head of cattle currently in the feed yards.

"Those cattle would currently be costing between three and four dollars per day, per animal in those feed yards to feed. We can do some adjustments to some nutritional requirements to put them on a maintenance type ration that would cut their cost to feed by a dollar or a little more."

He said other than that they will essentially be left to wait until things turn around.

Unfortunately, in Saskatchewan there are no longer any packing plants, which isn't going to make things easy.

"In Saskatchewan, we've lost our federal packing plants and as a result, all of our product either has to go to the US or has to go to Alberta. No having that in Saskatchewan is really hurting us at this point."

In the past, there were many smaller facilities, such as Moose Jaw and Brandon, but that is no longer that case.

Amidst the outbreak a lot of misinformation has been spread about the virus and how it affects the food sector, Ross wants people to understand that the meat they are consuming is safe.

"I'd just like to say to our consumers that the product is safe, there are no concerns about that. Continue buying beef with the upmost confidence in what our producers are putting out."

COVID-19 isn't impacting the cattle, this has been done for the sake of the people processing the cattle.

"We don't know what's going to happen, there's a lot of uncertainty out there."

On a policy side, he said they are talking to governments on almost a daily basis right now to figure out ways they can help producers and their consumers.

They are hoping to get some answers in the coming days and weeks.