The guy who started this whole mess

[NeilS]

ValueChainFX
What is HACCP?

[Muttley]

We all want the big food chains and fast food places like Macdonalds, Wendy's, etc. to sell only Canadian meat.

This sounds like a great idea!! Except we also want the Americains to buy our calves and culls.

My question is, how do we say to the Americains buy our cattle but don't send it back up here as meat "we only buy Canadian"?

How do we know that some of this beef coming back north was not at one time shipped south? I mean there is a good chance that it's not but how do we really know?

It's just like saying let's not buy a Japanese car because we are ticked at them. The real people that would get hurt are the employee's over here that make their living related to the car industry. It's the same with Macdonalds or who ever the person being unemployed this up here !!!

[ValueChainFX]

HACCP = Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, this is looking at the system (any system but especially food production) and trying to figure out what can go wrong and how to deal with it in advance or prevent it! There is what they call a farm HACCP program and some folks in the government have told me that it is being used out there and the farmers love it!!!! When I talk to producers they tell me they could never make this program work on their farm. After reading it, I tend to agree with them! But I'm sure we will see something for the farms soon!

I wouldn't be surprised if we did get some of our Canadian meat back in as cuts. When the price is right (between the US and Canada. The big guys will kill some of their own beef (beef they have on feed in a feedlot) and ship it to one of their breaking plants in the US. This beef is not graded with Canadian grades! So when it's cut it may very well come back to us!

I don't think we can stop American imports of beef, but I do believe there are some cuts that could be curved with government intervention given our industry state at this point. Also I do believe that Macs and Wendys are doing a pretty good job of using Canadian product.