Meat Shortage: Even Brooklyn?

New York Magazine has an article that discusses the troubles of the Kosher Meat industry entitled" Shochet Shocker". The article goes on to discuss how the federal investigation into Agriprocessors aka Rubashkin has been effecting the kosher meat industry everywhere from Brooklyn to Nashville. The effects of these issues are that many kosher stores are having problems stocking kosher meat from Supersol on the Upper West Side, to Glatt Mart in Flatbush the article claims, are all having issues with supply. Certainly this is not surprising in lue of the latest debacles at Rubashkin, the largest supplier of Kosher meat in the United States. However previous news reports that claimed there would be no meat shortage would now seem to have been in haste. I recently went to Brach's in Far Rockaway and can honestly say I was unaware of any shortage of their meats. I can say I'm appalled at the rise in some of the poultry prices but I'm not sure that's not attributed to fuel price increases. Here is an example of some inflation: family chicken bottoms could be found for just $1.59 a pound now are priced at $2.09. Chicken drumsticks could be found for $1.99 a pound now are $3.59! Perhaps this is G-d's way of saying...lay off the red meat and poultry for a while? Stay tuned....