Birdseed costs are sky high, say retailers

There's an old expression that when something is worth very little money, a person might call the price "merely birdseed." Not any longer.

At the Wild Bird Store in southeast Calgary, a 20-pound bag of medium sunflower chips birdseed will cost you about $50.

That cost has gone up 20 per cent since 2019, accord to store co-owner Kris Brown-Schoepp.

She's never seen price increases like that in her 25 years in the business.

"Typically, we would see an increase every year of maybe 50 cents," she said.

"We've never seen a price remotely this high for a 20-pound bag of medium chip."

And it's not just sunflower seeds that are more expensive. Brown-Schoepp says there's been an increase "straight across the board" on their birdseed mixes at her store.

Across the country, retailers and producers are reporting higher prices on birdseed.

Factors including the war in Ukraine, increased shipping and packaging costs and a previous dry growing season for key birdseed ingredients are all making it more expensive to feed the birds.

At Wild Birds Unlimited in Ottawa, store co-owner Kindell Tolmie is hesitant to check her email everyday, lest she learn about yet another price increase on products.

Tolmie opened her two stores in 2020, when other businesses like restaurants were struggling. They were met with "enormous success" thanks to the huge interest in birding during the pandemic.

Now, she says, they have seen costs double on some of their bird food products.

"It's been very volatile in terms of our price increases."

Both store owners, in Calgary and Ottawa, say the price jumps led to customers being more choosy in what they buy, and how much, in what is typically their busiest season for sales.