SASKATOON – In relative terms, Quebec is a declining market for the prairie beef industry.
But Quebec, separation or not, is a valuable $352 million market that cattle producers do not want to lose.
“In relative terms, Quebec’s importance has diminished in volume, if not in dollar terms,” Alberta Cattle Commission general manager Gary Sargent said last week. “But it remains our largest provincial market and we are intent on maintaining our market share.”
It means, said Canadian Cattlemen’s Association executive vice-president Dennis Laycraft, that the cattle industry will try to stay out of the political debate over Quebec independence and concentrate on serving a market that values Alberta beef because it is lean.
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“Quebec consumers are some of the strongest beef consumers in North America,” he said. “They will continue with that demand for beef and Alberta has an advantage because of the history of buyer-customer relations.”
The issue of Prairie-Quebec trade in meat came up earlier this month when the Quebec government published studies arguing Canadian business will press for an economic relationship with an independent Quebec because business will not want to give up the Quebec market for goods.
In particular, Quebec argues that Canada will have to let Quebec dairy producers stay in the supply management system because Canadian dairies need the milk.
Besides, they say, if Canada doesn’t buy Quebec milk, Quebec might find other places to buy beef it now takes from Alberta.
That kind of talk makes the cattle industry nervous. Those involved in it say they like to keep trade and politics separate.
Still, prairie politicians jumped at the bait.
Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow told an Aug. 22 news conference that while the Prairies and Canada would continue to trade with Quebec, there would be no special deals and many more restrictions than now exist because Quebec would be a separate country.
“I think it is safe to say our farm community would be looking for some alternate markets,” he said.
Key market
For the Alberta beef industry, Quebec remains a key and premium market.
Last year, according to ACC numbers, Quebec accounted for 51 percent of the value of beef sales out of Alberta – $352 million out of $689 million.
In volume, excluding live cattle, Quebec buyers took almost 28 percent of beef shipped out of Alberta – 129,000 tonnes out of 467,000 tonnes shipped.
A decade ago, Quebec accounted for almost one-third of volume.
Sargent said the decline in relative importance of the Quebec market likely will continue.
“We will continue to ship more south and more American beef will be coming into the Quebec market,” he said. “But it will remain important to us.”
