The Harper government has to stop talking out of both sides of its mouth in its dealings with the beef industry in this country. In June the government tabled the text of the Free Trade Agreement with South Korea in the House of Commons and our energetic Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced China has begun […] Read more
Two-faced tories
One says expand, the other says shrink
Take aim at the precautionary principle
It stifles innovation
You have to give the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) some credit for the nerve to tackle one of the big dogs that has taken a huge bite out of the livestock industry for several decades now. In a white paper released in May, The Precautionary Principle and Animal Agriculture, this non-profit association takes […] Read more
Exports are up again
Up but still nowhere near pre-2003 levels
Trade was much in the headlines last month starting with Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz leading a trade mission to South Korea and Japan to follow up on the March signing of the Canada-Korea free trade agreement (FTA) and stoke the fires of a hoped-for agreement with Japan. Canada Beef Inc. tied into the same news […] Read more
A pretty good deal
Producers seem to be getting their money’s worth out of the CCA
At meetings around the country this spring provincial cattle organizations have been adding a dollar to their local checkoffs. The reasons are well known. Cattle numbers are down, and likely to remain so for a while yet, so checkoff revenues are down. Once an organization gets around to asking for an increase the final vote […] Read more
McDonald’s wants verified sustainable beef
Fortunately we are well set up to supply it
How does a term like “sustainability” become an international trend with the power to move multinational companies? Having just had a short brush with the bare drought-blighted pastures of California and the concrete of L.A. I can understand why Hollywood types would feel the world is in dire shape. But selling sustainability to people who […] Read more
Looking Forward To 2012
On several fronts 2012 will be a very good year for the beef industry. Prices are currently high enough to put a smile on even the most cautious face and some of the shackles on our trade with the U.S. and the rest of the world are showing signs of weakening. On the supply side […] Read more
A Report Card On Trade
The 2010-11 Agriculture and Agri-Food Market Access Report released last month by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast is interesting for a couple of reasons. First it demonstrates this government s commitment to gaining greater access to markets for Canadian products. That s not really news though. Both of these ministers […] Read more
COMMENT
Canada Gold Beef Inc. (CGB) shut down the beef line at its SunGold Specialty Meats plant in Innisfail last month. This does not spell the end for CGB but it is a set back for the 19 shareholders who have already invested more than $19 million is this venture. It is also a cautionary tale […] Read more
Canada Beef Gets Rolling
The producers charged with merging the two marketing arms of the Canadian cattle industry seem to have struck a fine balance. The top tier of the newly created Canada Beef Inc. announced in late July is made up of people from both the Canada Beef Export Federation (CBEF) and the Beef Information Centre (BIC) but […] Read more
Canada Beef Gets Rolling
The producers charged with merging the two marketing arms of the Canadian cattle industry seem to have struck a fine balance. The top tier of the newly created Canada Beef Inc. announced in late July is made up of people from both the Canada Beef Export Federation (CBEF) and the Beef Information Centre (BIC) but […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
