A new corporation has been formed to promote and sell Canadian beef at home and abroad.
Canada Beef Inc. is an amalgamation of the Canada Beef Export Federation, Beef Information Centre and the national checkoff agency.
Its new president and chief executive is Robert Meijer, formerly of Cargill, and board chair is Brad Wildeman, a feedlot operator from Lanigan, Sask., and past president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
Wildeman said government approval is required because Canada Beef will be handling provincial check-off money. Provinces collect $1 per animal sold and send it to the national body for marketing and research.
The Beef Cattle Research Council will still receive its allotment to fund programs, and the rest of the money, which was formerly split between the former organizations, will be pooled to market beef more strategically.
“Its focus is going to be on marketing rather than policy. Market advocacy and policy development, we are going to leave that to the policy generating organizations like CCA and the National Cattle Feeders,” Wildeman said.
There will be offices in Calgary and Mississauga.
Members of the first board of directors selected during a meeting in Calgary July 26 -27 are Dane Guignion of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association, Brian Read of XL Meats, Scott Ellerton of Sysco Canada Inc., Mike Kennedy of Cargill Foods and Chuck MacLean of Alberta Beef Producers.
