The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association is encouraged by money for meat packers announced in the federal budget in early March, but the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) is less so.
The federal government announced $25 million for meat packing plants that handle cattle more than 30 months of age. The funding is supposed to address costs in Canada associated with slaughtering older cattle. Canada requires the disposal of specified risk materials such as heads, spleens and spines, in a different way than do American packers, making Canadian packers uncompetitive when bidding for cattle.