Goodbye, Earl.
That’s the title of song by the Dixie Chicks, an American group that originated a few states away from where Earls Kitchen and Bar chain says it will now get all its beef.
The Earl of the song came to a sad end, but the Alberta-founded and Canadian-operated chain here will likely survive, albeit without cattle producers, “agvocates” and a good portion of other beef supporters patronizing their 56 Canadian restaurants.
Earls said it can’t find enough supply in Canada to meet specifications that its beef come from “certified humane” operations that raise cattle without the use of antibiotics or steroids. Instead, it will import beef from Kansas.
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Like A & W did before it, Earls made a marketing decision that it presumably hopes will differentiate its outlets and give it a competitive edge against similar casual dining establishments.
But just as A & W’s “better beef” claim implied that conventionally raised beef was inferior, Earls demand for “certified humane” implies that Canadian beef is somehow lax in its treatment of beef animals.
That is wrong, and cattle producers are justifiably outraged.
Humane handling of cattle has never had a higher profile in Canada than it does right now.
The Canadian Beef Code of Practice was recently updated. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef includes humane animal treatment in its mandates. Research projects on cattle health, cattle feed, pain mitigation and transport have been funded for years.
And that’s just for starters.
Perhaps what’s lacking is a specific, credible, Canadian body authorized to “certify” that existing practices are humane.
The beef industry has been too slow to develop its own form of the desired certification, or at least too slow for restaurant marketing plans. It has been lulled by its confidence in the truth: that Canadian cattle are raised humanely, grown economically and provide meat free of antibiotics.
The Virginia-based Certified Humane organization, which Earls is using, supports proper care of food animals. So does another Virginia-based organization called Animal Welfare Approved.
What does that mean? Nothing more than what Canadian producers already provide.
The Earls announcement is another burr under the saddle for an industry that has done Alberta and Canada proud. It rankles, because agriculture and beef production are thought to be among the few economic bright spots. Hence the level of outrage.
The cattle business has always thought big. Maybe Earls has given it a prompt to think smaller and present its advantages in bite-sized pieces.
Slice that overarching sustainable beef project into one arm that certifies humane handling. Establish a separate arm that explains beef is free of antibiotics. Create a third arm that addresses steroid use and its environmental benefits.
Serve each dish separately so restaurants like Earls, and their patrons, can easily consume them.
The Canadian beef industry has all the needed ingredients and they are still among the best in the world.
