Stop 'political rhetoric,' national retail council tells Gerry Byrne

When it comes to retail decisions on rationing food, Jim Cormier doesn't think Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods Minister Gerry Byrne is qualified to voice an opinion.

Cormier, the government relations officer for the Retail Council of Canada, said Byrne's comments this week about removing limits on the sale of chicken, milk and eggs were "simplistic" and ill-informed.

On Tuesday, Byrne called for retailers to stop placing limits on the amount of poultry and dairy products that customers could buy.

"We need to all be in this together," Cormier said Wednesday."And political rhetoric in the face of people that are experts in supply chain management that are trying to keep stores open that political rhetoric is not helpful."

Byrne said there are no issues with the supply of chicken, milk and eggs three products whose supplyare controlled by the federal government.

He tweeted, "50 million litres of milk, over 18 million kg of chicken, 10 million dozen eggs farmed a year yet chain stores are rationing? Order more N.L. product Walmart & others!"

His comments were backed up by the N.L. Federation of Agriculture, as well as associations for dairy and egg farmers.

Colemans and Sobeys do not currently have limits on products, but others, such as Walmart and Dominion, do have them in place.

Shoppers around the province have reported trouble finding chicken at grocery stores since the pandemic reached Newfoundland and Labrador.

Cormier said stores have always had to make business decisions, but now they arealso being forced to make social decisions due to customers whohoard products during a time when making multiple trips to grocery stores isdiscouraged.

"To make the blanket statement that was made, it's not helpful at this point in time," Cormier said."Our members are dealing with extraordinary circumstances."

Premier Dwight Ball said Byrne's comments came after an assessment by the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agrifoods.

Ball said the goal of asking retailers to stop using limits was to ensure people didn't have to make repeated trips to the store when their groceries ran out.

Cormier believes supplyisbest left to the stores themselves to figure out, and government interference is less than appropriate in a pandemic.

"[Retailers]are supply chain and store management experts. I don't believe the minister is. Therefore in this case, we'd ask that businesses be allowed to operate in the manner they see best to continue to serve the good people of Newfoundland and Labrador."

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