Canadian beef receives investment from federal government

CALGARY – Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, attended the Calgary Stampede where she announced an investment of $8.3 million for six projects that will help support Canada’s beef industry. The investments will help producers become more competitive and provide them with the tools they need to remain sustainable and innovative.

Through these projects, organizations such as the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Canada Beef will develop and strengthen international market opportunities for their high-quality products, bolster Canada’s global beef brand, and ensure the highest standards in animal welfare and sustainability are maintained.

The largest portion of this investment, $5.3 million, is going towards Canada Beef to grow beef sales in important international markets, by expanding programs with retail partners and increase foreign consumer confidence in Canadian beef. This funding will help the Canadian beef sector further capitalize on the trade agreement the Government of Canada has advanced with Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and North America.

This also includes an investment of $1.7 million to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association to offer producers new tools to build public trust in their product around the world. This funding will help all producers take full advantage of the Verified Beef Production Plus Program.

Canada’s beef industry contributes $33 billion worth of sales of goods and services either directly or indirectly to the economy. In 2018, the Canadian beef industry (including veal) exported to 60 countries with a value of $2.75 billion.