Canadian Beef Breeds Council

from February 2014 Charolais Banner

Canadian Charolais Association News

Many purebredcattle producers don’t know that much about the Canadian Beef Breeds Council (CBBC), which is understandablegiven the fact that there has been moredirect interaction with respective breed associations than with producers. CBBC was established in 1994 to act as a unified voice of the purebred cattle industry and promote Canadian purebred beef genetics domestically and internationally. Today, CBBC represents the interest of 18 purebred beef breed Associations as well as several of Canada’s top export companies and major exhibitions. The top priorities of CBBC are government and industry advocacy, market access for live cattle and genetics, and scientific advancement for the beef cattle industry. CBBC representatives have attended events around the world promoting the integrity of Canadian genetics and why Canada is the best place in the world to do business.

CBBC currently represents the interests of the purebred cattle industry at the Canadian Cattlemen Association (CCA), Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA), Beef Improvement Federation (BIF), Canadian Livestock Genetics Association (CLGA) and Canadian Animal Health Coalition meetings. We work closely with federal and provincial governments and are active in committee and round‐table discussions. This advocacy is important for purebred producers for many reasons. Purebred producers are small in number, but as we all know, play a vital role in the beef cattle production system. The genetic base for Canada’s national herd starts with purebred cattle and that perspective needs to be heard or it is easily forgotten.

In developing foreign markets for purebred cattle, CBBC does not work alone. It is a combined effort of breeders, exporters, livestock exhibitions (domestic and international),government officials, industry organizations and breed associations. As part of its government advocacy efforts, CBBC has historically been very successful in obtaining financial assistance that is used to support those involved in creating more value for Canadian genetics. This is an ongoing effort that will continue for the foreseeable future.

CBBC is actively working with Livestock Gentec (a division of the University of Alberta) on several initiatives that will ensure the beef cattle industry remains competitive from a scientific and technological perspective with other animal protein industries. This includes identifying key areas of research that are relevant to the purebred industry as well as assisting producers who wish to apply new technologies. Understanding and incorporating Genomic information into everyday management is both a challenge and an opportunity for the beef industry. If managed correctly, it will provide Canada and its producers, with a distinct competitive advantage.

If you have questions or comments regarding the activities of CBBC, feel free to contact me at mlatimer@canadianbeefbreeds.com.