After less than a week in his new job, the first chair of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency is ready to get to work.
Announced in June as part of the provincial government’s Alberta livestock and meat strategy, the new agency is modeled after similar organizations in other countries. It will redirect government funds, resources and programs to help rebuild the struggling red meat sector.
Joe Makowecki is joined on the agency’s board by Ted Bilyea, former president of Maple Leaf Foods International, Charlie Gracey, consultant and former manager of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, and Kee Jim, chair of the Canada Beef Export Federation.
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They were scheduled to meet for the first time July 9 to organize the duties of the new agency. More board members will be added next year.
New board members and staff may be recruited from around the world in efforts to regain Canada’s former market power as an exporter and producer of high quality meat and livestock.
“If we are going to be working in international markets, we need to have international perspectives,” Makowecki said.
A priority is to move forward quickly without lengthy studies about a problem people already understand, he said. Nor does he want to lay blame or become enmeshed in past political arguments.
“The agency was created for independence and part of the foundation board is for independence,” said Makowecki, whose Edmonton company, Cheemo Perogies, produces three million perogies per day and ships product across North America.
“I am not in the meat industry, I am in the food industry and maybe they wanted to bring in a chair that didn’t necessarily have some of the baggage that others would …. This is a private sector board and we want to bring private sector speed to government programs and work with industry.”
The concept is modeled after agencies in other countries that promote and develop market opportunities. The Australian Meat and Livestock Commission is an example. Part of its success has been strong acceptance from producers and processors that they are exporters.
“We need to have a shared vision for the entire industry and until you have that, it is difficult to move forward much like Australia has done,” he said.
“We have to bring the entire industry together and ask the industry what they want us to accomplish.”
The Alberta government has provided the agency with $56 million in funding.
