Software to help ship information about the carcass quality of British Columbia’s slaughter cattle back down the production chain will get federal funding toward its development.
Vancouver South MP Wai Young last week pledged over $276,000 in Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) funding to help set up the B.C. Carcass Tracking and Quality Information System.
“This database will enable continuous improvement of product quality and profitability of the beef sector through enhanced traceability,” Young said at the Pacific National Exhibition.
The system is described as a “collaborative project” spearheaded by the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, working with the B.C. Association of Abattoirs.
Read Also
U.S. livestock: Cattle strength continues
Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were stronger on Friday, hitting fresh highs to end the week.
The project is meant to develop software allowing the beef industry to “better track, analyze and improve products by allowing for quick input and retrieval of information through a shared database.”
Consistency in carcass standards is expected to help “bolster consumer confidence” in Canada’s food safety system, while also increasing both market access and market value of B.C.-produced and -processed red meats, the government said.
The project is also expected to allow for “future adaptation” of the Tracking and Quality Information System in the province’s lamb, pork, and buffalo sectors.
The system is to be one of the “important links the beef industry needs to not only share information and knowledge through the production chain, but also to have the information available for the consumer, who wants to be informed about the product he is purchasing,” BCCA general manager Kevin Boon said in the government’s release.
The association, he said, aims with this project “to develop a system that can be utilized in every province across Canada and fulfill our mandate for full traceability, while creating a system of value for the producer and the entire value chain.”
