Question?

[Happytrails]

Good news today that the Earl's restaurants have sort of changed their policy on where they source beef. I have no idea where it will go from here but I do have a question.

From personal experience I know that the CFIA is deeply involved in certifying natural beef programs in Canada. My question is does the "Certified Humane" beef from Kansas fall under the same scrutiny? Anybody know?

[kato]

I Googled them and found a 54 page pdf on their website that outlines their criteria. Havent had time to read it, but I bet the code of practice we already have covers it.

[Happytrails]

Baffle with BS?? I wonder if the CFIA is inspecting them or taking their word for it.

[smcgrath76]

In the US there are some labels that are USDA certified. These typically refer to production characteristics, rather that production methods although there are some exceptions. There are also several independent, third party certification/verification companies that exist. The Certified Humane designation is one. As another example, Where Food Comes From is conducting the sustainability verification for MacDonald's and Heritage Angus is using a halal certification group. TK Ranch also uses a humane certification as part of their marketing. The list goes on as there are also various organic certification groups.
The issue in my mind is partly how we are raising our livestock (many of us do it very well), it is the issue of continual improvement in areas that are often overlooked and having an independent system to verify our message. "Because I said so" is not a very good argument unless you are parenting someone under age 2. We have to realize as producers that we are seriously disconnected from the population and most have never set foot on a farm and in reality many have never even seen a farm from the road. That is reality. I expect a lot of the hurt feelings are due to losing a trust that we have not broken, but reality is we need to do better and prove it.
CFIA handles food safety and the CBGA handles product quality issues. These are non-negotiable and are not even marketing attributes anymore. The safest beef in the world is an expectation, not a point of differentiation.
I agree somewhat with the fear mongering issue, but if someone came and offered a premium to me (or I sought it out), I would verify humane in a heartbeat to help my bottom line.
One of the great advantages of third party verification is purely selfish. Small personal example, during our MacDonald's verification we answered a lot of questions about farm safety, some were items we had not thought of before. We now have multiple fire extinguishers and a written emergency plan with phone numbers, maps, etc. located on out main power poles in each yard. A simple thing that slips the mind until someone sits down and starts asking point blank questions.
If we each honestly sat down and started asking hard questions about our operations, how many of us could honestly and objectively say we use best practices. No emotion, do we use pain control, do we handle animals quietly and safely, do we observe farm safety guidelines, do we record vaccinations/treatments and check withdrawals against shipping records, do we have a euthanasia policy, do we have a policy for handling dangerous goods/fuel spills?, do we monitor and manage our habitats/riparian zones? and the list goes on. Having a third party to vouch for us, is not a bad idea in this light. I think VBP will help to answer a lot of these questions, but the reality is a lot of folks have not even adopted the beef safety portion of that program. "I work hard" is not an argument if we can't prove we are working on the right stuff.

[Happytrails]

Sean, it is interesting to hear of the various protocols for branded beef and the oversite involved. I'm impressed with the improvements you have made to your cattle program but wonder who is inspecting and verifying them. The smallest deed is worth more than the greatest intention. Paperwork is just paper with ink on it.

My reference to the CFIA related to inquiries I made re: EU certification. The CFIA is certainly reaching beyond food safety in that context. I am surprised if they are keeping their fingers out of domestic natural beef programs.

[smcgrath76]

I think the target here is for the VBP program to take control of a lot of the additional certifications. It is a big target to get enough producers signed on that they can target market verified product. It will take significant producer buy in and appropriate packing plant segregation of carcasses to reach a marketable scale.
We are audited by VBP and have been verified by Where Food Comes From, and our EG&S market are verified by the ALUS program. There are a couple of other minor ones as well. The trick is turning it into extra cash.

[Happytrails]

Sean I think the extra cash will come after you get your foot in the door. The Earls deal shows how important that is.

[boytefarms]

I agree Sean. VBP is the vessel. The less # of vessels, the better. Too many certifying bodies create confusion especially with the consumer. (CFIA should stick to food safety) It has been a slippery slope starting with A&W. Everyone has a claim to something special in what we produce. As a c/c/backgrounder we have been on the VBP for 8 years and this year, being the 9th, we are due for a full on farm audit. The required record keeping
has been an incredible asset to the management of the herd. You are right about seeing a benefit from what we do well. BUT we need incentive to do so. (It is also in our best interest to do well by the cattle.) We benefited from the 'natural' wave to the tune of $50.00/head starting in 2012. Because of the record keeping we were able to identify exactly who was treated and pull them out of the package. (The whole 'natural' thing is ridiculous because of the withdrawal times/hormone levels 'at the end' are nil.) BUT it is all about what the consumer wants, rightly or wrongly. SURE, we can do all those things they want because we are doing them already. It's just a matter of verifying it. Which takes time. Our time is worth something. We all work very hard to produce this valuable protein that feeds the masses. We sold cattle again this year under a 'natural' banner. I'm not convinced that there is much of a monetary benefit there anymore. And the 'social license'? - quite personally, the term offends me.