Alberta Cattle Commission delegates have approved an increased service charge on cattle sold in the province.
The checkoff goes up to $2 from $1.50 this coming April, the delegates decided at their annual meeting in Calgary.
This increase is in line with other provinces and countries that have a levy on cattle marketings. Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan collect $2, the United States collects $1.59, Australia collects $3.33 and New Zealand collects $3.36.
With the extra money, the commission has projected it will collect $8 million in fees.
A large share of the money goes on to the national level with an anticipated $3.7 million for national promotion and the Beef Information Centre. Alberta contributes $463,000 to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
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An additional $1.1 million is spent on initiatives at home. Money has been set aside to expand the Alberta beef food service program and a beef-in-the-classroom program.
Since Quebec is the largest buyer of Alberta beef, a retail merchandising project is under way.
Money was also put into an export market fund of $800,000 to help the Canadian industry fight an American trade challenge to incoming live Canadian cattle.
