OTTAWA, Ont. — Shipment volume drops in the computer and vehicle manufacturing sector were the main contributors to the overall drop in freight volumes posted in October.

Following September’s quarter-end boost (+16.7%), shipments of computer and electronic products returned to more normal levels in October, dropping 12.1% to $1.5 billion, Statistics Canada reports.

January-to-October shipments remained 15% below levels of the same period of 2002.

Motor vehicle manufacturing slipped 2.5% to $5.0 billion, following September’s recovery (+16.2%) from the electrical blackout. Motor vehicle sales have been slowing both in Canada and in the United States in recent months.

Lower industrial prices in October contributed to fewer shipments of chemical products (-3.0%) and petroleum and coal products (-3.3%).

Partly offsetting the decline in shipments for October, food manufacturers benefited from the re-opening of the US border to selected exports of Canadian beef products.

Shipments of boneless beef contributed to a 2.7% rise in food shipments in October, the first full month since the ban was partly lifted. Mexico also accepted Canadian beef exports as of October 2. Year-to-date shipments of animal slaughtering (excluding poultry) remained 11.3% below levels of 2002.