Helping Canada's beef industry meet consumers' demands for a sustainable product

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 8th, 2021 /CNW/ - Yesterday, during the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) directors meeting in Ottawa, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced nearly $200,000 in support of their Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program and remote auditing.

The VBP+ program is a voluntary certification program administered by the CCA to certify beef cattle operations meet high standards for food safety, animal care and environmental stewardship.

The funding will go towards a web portal and an app for remote audits, which will make it easier for cattle producers to access the VBP+ program. The funding announced yesterday brings the total Government of Canada investment into VBP+ and its environmental component, the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework, to $1.9 million.

With over 1.6 million cattle already under the management of certified VBP+ operations in Canada, this announcement will help more cattle producers meet market demands for sustainably raised beef. Canada's livestock producers and processors have built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality, safe and delicious beef. As shoppers in Canada and around the world increasingly look in grocery store aisles for sustainable and humane food options that ensure animal well-being, it is more important than ever to raise awareness of the beef industry's commitment to animal care, biosecurity and environmental stewardship practices.

Quotes 
"Canadian cattle producers care for their animals and our environment. Canada's beef industry, through the leadership of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and it's Verified Beef Production Plus program, is stepping up to meet the demands of consumers for food made to the highest standards for safety, animal care and environmental stewardship. This investment will help give more cattle producers access to this indispensable program and strengthen their relationship with consumers."
- The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"VBP+ is one of the tools beef producers can use to ensure consumer trust and help our industry meet ambitious national strategy goals, which will help us meet beef demand well into the future. Increasing efficiency in certification infrastructure and delivery enables VBP+ to keep producer costs reasonable while on market opportunities."
- Bob Lowe, President, Canadian Cattlemen's Association

"VBP+ is encouraged with the announced investment by the federal government that enables our organization to meet the needs of consumers and stakeholders by building and maintaining a robust and rigorous certification and training system, efficient and accessible for all Canadian beef producers. This investment allows VBP+ to create and validate the auditing and training tools needed to move our beef industry forward."
- Cecilie Fleming, VBP+ Management Committee Chair

Quick Facts

• The Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) is a five-year, $3-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector.
• The funding announced yesterday is through the federally-delivered AgriAssurance Program: National Industry Association component under the CAP. This Program helps industry develop and adopt systems, standards and tools to support quality, health and safety claims about Canadian agricultural and agri-food products.
• The Canadian Cattlemen's Association, established in 1932, is a not-for-profit national association incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act representing the interests of Canada's 60,000 beef farms. This association provides leadership for the Canadian beef cattle industry, including assisting in its development, as well as adaptation to new ideas and technologies.
• The Canadian beef industry has half the greenhouse gas footprint per kilogram of production compared to the global average. Along with Canada, the U.S. and the EU, the CCA has taken the Global Methane Pledge, to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030.
• Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) is a voluntary, market-oriented, producer managed forward-looking program enabling Canada's beef industry to anticipate and meet emerging and growing demands for beef production systems throughout the Canadian beef value chain.
• The Certified Sustainable Beef Framework, provides a tool to certify farms, ranches and processing facilities against sustainability standards, supports retail and foodservice companies to meet sustainable sourcing commitments, and provides sustainability messaging for consumers through marketing labels and claims enabling purchasing of beef from Certified Operations.
• Beef production contributes approximately $21.8 billion to Canada's GDP (2018-2020 Statistics Canada/Canfax averages).
• In 2020, Canada exported 425 million kilograms of beef to international markets, valued at $3.26 billion.
   

Additional Links 

AgriAssurance Program
Canadian Cattlemen's Association
Verified Beef Production Plus

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Oliver Anderson, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, [email protected], 613-462-4327; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 1-866-345-7972, [email protected]