As consumers demand to know more about how the agricultural products they eat are grown, organic beef producers may see new markets emerge.
Duane Phillippi is with Farmer Direct Co-operative Ltd., a producer-driven business that sells ethically grown and traded foods.
“When our staff go to trade shows around the world to sell organic cereal, oilseeds and pulse crops, they always come back with inquiries about organic beef. This occurred recently in Chicago.”
Farmer Direct has contracts with American buyers for boneless, boxed organic beef.
“Our U.S. buyers are requesting organic boneless subprimals. This is one of the products that the current BSE situation still allows us to send across the border. We do have organic beef grown among our 60 member producers that is of the appropriate weight and grade.”
The challenge at the moment, explains Phillippi, is accessing a federal processing facility with USDA accreditation to get into the United States.
“Interestingly enough, these clients often focus on organic dairy and poultry products. One of them is the largest organic co-operative in the United States, a well-established company that dominates the organic milk market and is starting to offer organic beef.”
Sandy Lowndes is a Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Organic Livestock Development Specialist in Tisdale. This emerging market does not surprise her:
“The appeal of organic beef is the absence of chemical pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, hormones or antibiotics in the production process. The knowledge that the animals have been raised in an environment where their movement was not restricted plays a role, as well — these are basically free range animals. Once you start medicating their feed and restricting their movement, some consumers claim to start noticing a change in the smell or taste of the meat.”
The Canadian Organic Livestock Association (COLA) has enjoyed good success in developing new markets in Canada for organic beef, according to Executive Director Sam Rhode.
“We have been shipping organic beef to eastern Canada and have developed a relationship with Sobeys and IGA. Our animals are slaughtered at federally-approved plants and distributed across eastern Canada in all cuts.” One of the groups COLA works with is Distribution Bio Fresh Cutz, a Montreal-based distributor, says Rhode.
“The meat is packaged in individual portions with the COLA and Distribution Bio Fresh Cutz labels. We are now developing markets for organic poultry, lamb and pork products. We have a distributor in the U.S. that imports our beef as boxed, deboned beef, which is the only way we can export to the U.S. with the BSE situation as it is.”
As far as overseas markets go, Farmer Direct is considering opportunities for organic bison, as well. But for the time being, Philippi and his colleagues are just trying to keep up with the North American demand for organic beef.
“We have sales in British Columbia; some in Ontario. The biggest push in the United States right now is from the west coast. The key is sustaining the consistency of our supply to current markets.”
The future does look bright for organic beef.
For more information, contact:
Duane Philippi
Farmer Direct Co-operative Ltd.
(306) 352-2444
www.farmerdirect.coop
Sandy Lowndes
Organic Livestock Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 878-8816
Sam Rhode
Canadian Organic Livestock Association
(306) 845-3119
http://www.colabeef.ca
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