Cattle industry needs continued support
February 18th, 2010
This week we read in the Manitoba Co-operator that Canada’s cattle herd fell to its smallest size in 15 years last year. Cattle and calves slaughter levels in Canada were down 3.7 per cent compared to 2008. More alarming was the fall in live cattle exports of 31.6 per cent.
These declines are the result of a number of things. It was the first year of mandatory U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL). The continued demand for ethanol has caused a surge in grain prices, which means feed costs have skyrocketed. And the higher Canadian dollar has also cut in to profit margins. The result is fewer cattle and fewer cattle producers. Read more…
