EDMONTON — Meat prices for elk are up, but the number of animals in the province continues to drop at an alarming rate, says the head of an elk meat co-op.
There were only 12,622 elk in Alberta in December, including calves, which is down significantly from a high of 43,000 in 2003.
“That is a decline that is not good for the industry long term in any way shape or form,” said Gerald Sam of the Alberta Wapiti Products Co-op.
Keeping elk only for antler production rather than increasing the herd is a disturbing trend, said Sam.
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The 2,600 live elk calves that are born to the province’s 4,700 females, not counting two year olds, produces a 50 percent calving rate.
“We need to get people putting the bulls in with their elk. It does no good to have animals on the farm. If you have animals on the farm and do nothing with them, how can you expect to pay your bills,” Sam told a recent Alberta Elk Commission meeting.
“I know there are farms in Sask-atchewan and Alberta that are doing nothing with their animals. Put the bull in. There is a market out there. There are people looking for them. We will buy them.”
Sam said consumers around the world want Canadian elk meat and can’t get it because of the dwindling numbers of animals.
“We have markets we cannot supply because we cannot get animals.”
In 2014, 2,467 elk were born in the province, 1,678 animals were slaughtered for meat, 836 were exported and 505 died, resulting in a net loss of 552 elk.
“We’re going the wrong direction. We need to start producing animals,” Sam said.
mary.macarthur@producer.com
