TRACING LIVE CATTLE PAYS CANADIAN PRODUCERS FOR CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE BEEF
TRACING LIVE CATTLE PAYS CANADIAN PRODUCERS FOR CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE BEEF
BIXSco Inc. (BIX) has helped Canada’s beef producers track their cattle from sustainable farms and ranches right to the packing plant. This tracing of the supply chain has provided a key for the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration (CBSA) pilot project that includes multiple supply partners. The CBSA, now finished with its 3rd quarter, doubled its 1st quarter volumes to 1 million pounds of certified sustainable beef along with paying out a generous $18.52 per head per operation, which includes both farms and feedlots, for that quarter. This followed $10 for the 1st quarter and $20.11 for the second in which the pilot was running.
The CBSA pilot project start October 1, 2017, and was initiated by Cargill, BIX and VBP+, as an extension of the Verified Sustainable Beef pilot project started by McDonald’s to certify sustainable practises on audited farms across Canada. Retail and Foodservice partners like McDonald’s, Loblaws, Swiss Chalet, Original Joe’s and Cactus Club are funding financial credits that are then paid to participating producers during the pilot. This also leads the way for McDonald’s newest burger initiative with an Angus Burger produced from Certified Sustainable Beef, which launched this month.
Using the EID tags (Electronic Identification), recorded across Canada’s cattle industry for food safety, BIX and industry partners have collaborated to create a system to track animals from an audited operation provided the operation is registered on BIX (www.mybixs.com). This allows tracking of cattle through the supply chain and the processing of credits paid to producers to help offset the cost of implementing the pilot. Canada now leads the world in not only tracking its beef sustainability but making sure it benefits cattle producers who chose to be audited within the program.
“We were pleased to take a leading role in the development of this pilot project and look forward to highlighting Canada’s sustainable practises within the Canadian beef industry” said Hubert Lau, President of BIXSco Inc, “further integrating other BIX assets will mean even more benefits and efficiencies to the industry over time”.
“It is exciting to see the auction marts and order buying stations planning to support the CBSA pilot project, by organizing and promoting sales featuring cattle from audited sustainable operations,” says Deborah Wilson, Sr. VP of BIXSco Inc. “The collaboration in the cattle industry, demonstrated during the CBSA pilot, will drive the production of sustainable beef which is critical to the health of the industry. Consumers demand, and are entitled, to more information about their food. The Canadian beef industry heard that and responded, and I couldn’t be prouder of our achievements in the last few years.”
The CBSA pilot project is in its last quarter of the first year, and the pilot will be extended due to its success and popularity. This project shows that beef attributes, and even the adjectives used to describe them, can pay a premium if marketing is done well and the attributes, such as sustainability, are well supported by supply chain traceability. Tracing the supply is essential to create proof points to support and advance public trust, this in turn elevates the level of marketing to consumers.