PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
AUGUST 2022
At MBP’s July 13 producer BBQ some directors who served on MBP’s board of directors were recognized by current or past directors for their recent service, including (l-r) Gord Adams, District 1 (recognized by Melissa Atchison); Robert Metner, District 11 (recognized by Dianne Riding); Riding, District 9 (recognized by Tom Teichroeb); and Nancy Howatt recognized Peter Penner, District 3. Also recognized but unable to attend were Kevin Duddridge (District 4) and Jim Buchanan (District 14). (Photo credit: David Hultin/MBP)
Cattle Producers Relieved By Federal Beef Label Exemption As a cattle producer, Tyler Fulton has watched an unrelenting stream of catastrophes batter the beef industry over the last 20-plus years. There was BSE, which abruptly closed international markets to Canadian beef exports and nearly wrecked the livelihoods of thousands of producers. There was U.S. country-of-origin meat labelling (COOL), a restriction costing the industry millions of dollars in lost export sales and depressed markets. There was also a litany of domestic problems: E. coli, low market prices, flooding, drought, feed shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic. But now the good news is that the beef industry has narrowly avoided another problem which could potentially have been the worst of all – a federal regulation
which, it was feared, might have persuaded consumers not to eat beef. Health Canada has exempted beef and pork from a measure which would have required packages of ground meat sold in grocery stores to carry warning labels that the products contained high levels of saturated fat. The exemption, announced June 30, came after an intensive campaign called Don’t Label My Beef by the Canadian Cattle Association and other concerned groups. Producers worried the package labels could have confused consumers into thinking ground meat was bad for them and influenced them not to buy it. For Fulton, Manitoba Beef Producers president, the exemption is a welcome change for the cattle sector. “We’ve had so many issues over the last 20, 25 years that, when one like this comes along, it feels like it’s another hurdle,” he told Cattle Country.
“It was completely backwards, confusing and distracting to the consumer that the government would have suggested something like this.” The controversy centered around a proposed regulation by Health Canada called front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labelling. The measure required processed and packaged foods high in sugar, salt and/or saturated fat to carry a warning label if the contents exceed 15 per cent of the maximum recommended daily allowance of those items. It’s part of the Healthy Eating Strategy, a Health Canada initiative launched in 2016 to help Canadians move away from highly processed foods and make more wholesome food choices.
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President’s Column
Wild Pigs Wreaking Havoc
Automating Replacement Heifer Selection
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BY: RON FRIESEN