PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
MAY 2026
The research capacity at Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives is growing, thanks to the recent addition of the 467-acre Odanah Pasture located north of the existing Brookdale Research Farm. Please see article on page 11. (Photo courtesy MBFI and Ducks Unlimited Canada)
Important for Beef Producers to Give Input into Proposed Beef Code of Practice Changes
about protecting our ability to ranch and farm in the way that we know works, and that’s responsible while also being profitable and flexible in a world that’s watching us.” What is the Beef Code or Practice? The Beef Code of Practice is a national consensus-based standard for farm animal care, handling and welfare that establishes a minimum standard of care for the beef industry and serves as a reference to respond to consumer, public and international queries. The Code is integrated into the Verified Beef Plus (VBP+) program and serves as a basis for assessments and producer training.
Yes, This is an Awkward Photo No, Your Mortgage Won’t Be. From awkward to approved. Some conditions apply; visit sunrisecu.mb.ca for details. sunrisecu.mb.ca
Carolyn Arndt Branch Manager
www.mbbeef.ca
PUBLISHED IN STEINBACH, MANITOBA, CANADA
page 5
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The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) released a new draft Beef Code of Practice on April 13, and launched a 60-day public comment period to collect feedback on proposed changes to the Code. Leigh Rosengren, Chief Veterinary Officer, Canadian Cattle Association, and a producer representative on the Beef Code Committee emphasizes how important it is that beef producers provide their input about the proposed changes to the Beef Code during the 60-day comment period. “This is your opportunity to contribute to the process,” Rosengren says. “Because producers are directly affected by these changes, and have the ability to lean in with the practical implications and the practical reality of what this means to them on farm and potentially some solutions or alternatives that would work better for them, that gives the Code Committee something to consider as we move from the draft to the final product.”
Beef producers’ experience and input is especially important as this public comment period is open to everyone across Canada, including people who may have a different perspective or expectations of the beef sector. The majority of responses received to a 2024 Beef Code Priorities Survey conducted prior to the review were from ‘concerned citizens’ and from consumers, with only one out of five responses coming from beef producers. “It is important that producers provide the rationale and any supporting evidence they have as to why there is a comment being made,” says Melissa Atchison, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) Research and Extension Specialist. “If they provide some rationale that is logical, it can inform meaningful changes in the draft content. It is important for producers to engage in this in a robust way because this is a tool that protects us. Having a strong Code of Practice and keeping it up to date helps us earn public trust. We need to demonstrate that we have self-motivated self-improvement as an industry and animal welfare is something we monitor and care about, but it’s also
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BY ANGELA LOVELL