Canada funds beef certification program
The voluntary certification program reviews food safety, animal care and environmental stewardship standards
13 December 2021
1 minute read
Canadian Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau announced nearly $200,000 in support of the Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program and auditing at the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) meeting last week.
"This investment will help give more cattle producers access to this indispensable program and strengthen their relationship with consumers," said Bibeau.
The VBP+ program is a voluntary certification program administered by the CCA to certify beef cattle operations meet high standards for food safety, animal care and environmental stewardship.
The funding will go towards a web portal and an app for remote audits, which will make it easier for cattle producers to access the VBP+ program. The funding announced yesterday brings the total Government of Canada investment into VBP+ and its environmental component, the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework, to $1.9 million.
Currently, there are over 1.6 million cattle under the management of certified VBP+ operations in Canada.
"VBP+ is one of the tools beef producers can use to ensure consumer trust and help our industry meet ambitious national strategy goals, which will help us meet beef demand well into the future," said Bob Lowe, President of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association. "Increasing efficiency in certification infrastructure and delivery enables VBP+ to keep producer costs reasonable while on market opportunities."
