Meristem: Beef Science

A $9.25 million fund to strengthen the competitiveness of the Canadian beef industry has wrapped up activity and released results of more than 120 projects.

The National Beef Industry Development Fund (NBIDF) was established by the governments of Canada, Alberta and British Columbia. Among the many projects funded, NBIDF contributed to the commercial beef utilization strategy for BSE recovery, the creation of a new beef economics research institute, beef perceptions audits of top international meat buyers and an assessment of options for traceability in the Canadian beef industry.

"The work supported by NBIDF has been important to the viability of the Canadian beef industry – and invaluable in the wake of BSE," says Dave Plett, a southern Alberta feedlot operator and chair of NBIDF. "The results of these projects will go a long way to promoting and enhancing the competitiveness of the industry for many years to come."

NBIDF was managed by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and directed by a committee of producers and government representatives. Industry consultation fuelled the establishment of four pillar areas for NBIDF investment. These included expanded market share and security; increased product value; improved alignment of the supply chain; and investment in knowledge and education.

Priorities under theses pillars were initially established prior to the BSE incidence in Canada, but were updated quickly to meet industry needs in the wake of the crisis.

"In the immediate aftermath of BSE, the Fund played a critical role in helping to support the industry during periods when check-off funds were drastically reduced," says Plett. "This included both supporting enhanced domestic marketing maintaining and opening new export market development channels."

With an eye to the future, the Fund also encouraged innovative proposals to help the industry reposition itself for a new era.

"The Fund had a strong willingness to promote 'out-of-the-box' thinking and projects, especially within the industry alignment pillar and the knowledge and education pillar," says Plett. "The overriding drive was to support projects that would open new areas of research and development – ones that will generate results to benefit the beef industry beyond the current generation."

With the wrap-up of fund activity, NBIDF encourages the many sectors and players in the Canadian beef industry to take advantage of the results that have emerged and will continue to roll out over the coming years. "If you're involved in the Canadian beef industry, this is your fund," says Plett.

An overview of fund progress, including summaries of several core projects, is available in NBIDF's Report to the Canadian Beef Industry, available on the new NBIDF Web site, located at www.cattle.ca/NBIDF. This report will also be delivered as an insert in the January 2007 edition of Canadian Cattlemen magazine.

More extensive information on NBIDF, including final reports and complete project listings, is also available on the NBIDF Web site. Watch the site in the coming weeks for several new feature articles highlighting the results of NBIDF projects.

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National fund supports Canadian beef industry competitiveness