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Beef sector questions need for transport rules changes Officials fear new rules will favour public concerns over scientific evidence BY JENNIFER BLAIR
ON HOLD: Canada’s cattle herd has stubbornly refused to grow High prices made expansion expensive and falling prices have folks nervous — but young producers like Clay and Jesse Williams see only opportunity
AF staff
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he beef industry is bracing for changes to cattle transport regulations, fearing they might be based on perceptions rather than sound science. Current rules require animals be off-loaded after 48 hours of transport for a minimum of five hours and provided with feed and water, unless they can reach their destination within 52 hours. The Canadian Food and Inspection Agency has been working on revisions to the regulations for several years but hasn’t given any indication of what might be in store. But there are fears regulators might be influenced by public concerns that have been created by campaigns by animal rights activists condemning the current rules as inhumane. “We’re not opposed to changes to the transport regulations, as long as those changes are based on scientific evidence and as long as those changes actually contribute to better welfare for the animals,” said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “We don’t want changes that are done because somebody thinks
see BEEF TRANSPORT } page 6
Clay and Jesse Williams have grown their herd quickly and the fall in prices hasn’t deterred their plans to expand even more aggressively. PHOTO: SUPPLIED BY JENNIFER BLAIR AF staff
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anada’s cattle herd has been poised for expansion for the last two years, but declining cattle prices have put those expansion plans on hold. “The July 1 inventory showed that we were completely steady with beef cow numbers,” said Brenna Grant, manager of Canfax Research Services. “We did have an increase in beef heif-
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ers for breeding purposes — so retention numbers — but we’re still well below the long-term average. “There’s no indication that producers are gung-ho to expand.” Canada’s cattle herd is currently sitting around 13,205,000 animals, up slightly from 2015’s count of 13,035,000. For many producers, last year’s drought conditions during breeding season put a halt to any expansion plans, said Grant. “Some of them who were planning on rebuilding their herds figured they weren’t going to have feed that winter.”
Around the same time, cattle prices peaked and have since been declining steadily. “We’re now down 30 per cent from the peak in May of 2015, which is a dramatic drop over 18 months,” she said. “We’re still falling, and we’re seeing that the U.S. market continues to fall as well. That’s obviously had an impact on the price signals to cow-calf producers, as calf prices have gone from a high of about $325 down to about $200 per hundredweight.
CATTLE HERD } page 7
rainy fall hurts quality } PAGE 25