It took 15 years, countless meetings, changes in government rules and regulations, but the beef industry has made it to the final stages of creating a national beef check-off agency.
“It was certainly not an easy task,” said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
The creation of the check-off agency will have little effect for most cattle producers, Laycraft said, but it will allow a $1 per head checkoff to be charged on all animals coming into Canada from the United States, and an equivalent amount charged on U.S. beef.
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That will mean about another
$1 million for cattle research and promotion, said Laycraft.
It also unifies the amount of checkoff paid by producers in all provinces and clarifies the rules for cattle moving between provinces.
“The biggest weakness was imports,” said Laycraft.
Unable to collect
Canadian cattle and beef shipped to the U.S. were charged a checkoff, but the reverse couldn’t be done.
Before the agency could be established, the association had to get provincial agencies and governments on side, and then make new rules under the Farm Products Act.
Money from the national checkoff will be used for beef cattle promotion and research.
Now, producers pay a provincial checkoff per head marketed. A portion of that fee is directed to national promotion and market development programs, operated by the Beef Information Centre, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
Once the agency is operational, expected within a few months, that portion of the checkoff will be sent to the agency for distribution among promotion, market development and research activities.
“We believe there’s a lot we can do with this,” said Laycraft.
