The Canada Beef Breeds Council has launched a wide ranging survey to assess the risks facing the purebred cattle industry.
Producers from across the country representing 11 breed associations will be asked to assess their risks associated with producing and selling purebred cattle, including market access, competition from non-registered cattle, use of genetics and insurance coverage.
“It is a great opportunity for the associations to all work together and address our industry and see what risks are out there and manage accordingly,” said Duncan Porteous, who is managing the project.
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About 7,000 purebred producers will be asked to complete a lengthy written survey and each association will receive the results for further evaluation.
Producers will be asked to identify their primary breed, if they raise other purebreds and other details about the industry as they perceive them.
A telephone survey for cow-calf producers will ask about where purebred cattle fit into their operations, what kinds of guarantees they expect and what types of genetic bases they are seeking.
A focus group of commercial producers and representatives from feedlots, packers and artificial insemination and embryo groups will evaluate what risks face the industry and what they expect from purebreds.
This is the first time such a study has been initiated in Canada. The first phase of the project should be completed in 2007.
Project funding comes from Agriculture Canada’s private sector risk management partnerships program.
The Canada Beef Breeds Council represents national purebred associations as well as exporters and other service providers to the seedstock industry.
