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Volume 13 Issue 7 • April 13, 2015
CCA IS THE NATIONAL VOICE OF CANADA’S 68,500 BEEF FARMS
In This Issue...
• Minister announces AMR plan;
Canada’s beef industry good at
judicious use of antimicrobials
• 2015 NBQA retail beef survey to
benchmark trends in consumer
satisfaction with Canadian beef
• Potential for hay prices to ease in short
term, but outlook uncertain as acres
drop
• Forage Quality
Minister announces AMR plan; Canada’s
beef industry good at judicious use of
antimicrobials
Canada’s Minister of Health Rona Ambrose brought the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to
the forefront recently with the announcement of an integrated action plan aimed at obtaining a more
comprehensive understanding of antimicrobial use, trends and resistance in human and animal medicine.
The measures announced by Minister Ambrose include a new Federal Action Plan on Antimicrobial
Resistance and Use (http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/publications/drugs-products-medicaments-produits/
antibiotic-resistance-antibiotique/action-plan-daction-eng.php), which builds on the previously released
Federal Framework for Action (http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/drugs-products-medicaments-produits/
antibiotic-resistance-antibiotique/antimicrobial-framework-cadre-antimicrobiens-eng.php); an investment
of US $250,000 to support a World Bank study of the economic impacts of AMR; and the launch of the
Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (CARSS), a new surveillance approach that will
provide an integrated, national picture of antimicrobial use and resistance across Canada.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) participated in a roundtable discussion with Minister Ambrose preceding the announcement. The roundtable
included representatives of human and animal health organizations as well as livestock producer groups (chicken, hogs, cattle and dairy). There was consensus
on the need for a common strategy to prevent AMR in the most medically importance antimicrobials.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs naturally, even when antimicrobials aren’t used. When antimicrobials are used, susceptible bacteria are killed and die out, while
resistant bacteria survive, reproduce and become more common. Inappropriate or excessive antibiotic use in livestock, humans or pets speeds this process up
and encourages the growth of resistant bacteria.
At the roundtable the CCA cited the need to incorporate the knowledge the beef industry has gained from decades of surveillance in antimicrobial use and
AMR to ensure that policy decisions and strategy related to AMR are going to be truly effective.
Indeed Canada’s beef cattle industry has a positive story to tell when it comes to the prudent use of antimicrobials. Decades of surveillance and research
conducted by government and industry at feedlots, processing facilities and at the beef retail counter show that resistance to antimicrobials of the highest
importance in human health is very low and not increasing in Canada. Producers are encouraged to keep learning about this issue to help them reduce the use
of medically important antimicrobials when appropriate, and to ensure medically important antimicrobials are used responsibly when necessary.
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS) has collected and tested samples from
Volume 13 Issue 7 • April 13, 2015
abattoirs and retail beef since 2002. Their surveillance shows that resistance to antimicrobials of the highest importance in human health is very low and not
increasing in Canada. The same is true for multi-drug antimicrobial resistance. Similar results have been seen in a series of collaborative studies conducted by
industry and government research teams in commercial Canadian feedlots since the late 1990’s.
The very low level of antimicrobial resistance observed in Canadian cattle and beef indicate that Canada’s cattle producers use antimicrobials prudently.
Research confirms this; fewer than 10 per cent of the antimicrobial treatments used in Canadian feedlot production use antimicrobials of relevance to human
medicine. The remainder (over 90%) of the antimicrobials used in feedlot production are ionophores – a class of antimicrobial not used in human medicine.
Canada’s cattle producers have an ethical responsibility to protect the health and welfare of their animals. Antimicrobials play an important role in this regard
because not all cattle diseases can be prevented by vaccination. Producers also have an ethical responsibility to use antimicrobial products prudently – and
research confirms that antimicrobials used in the beef industry are, on the whole, being used responsibly.
This outcome is largely due to the Canadian beef industry’s long held pro-active approach to AMR. The CCA policy on prudent drug use was developed in
1994 as part of the original Quality Starts Here program, which evolved into the Verified Beef Production™ (VBP) program in 2004. The VBP program, which
includes requirements pertaining to the responsible use of animal health products and record keeping to demonstrate responsible use, was the first Canadian
on-farm food safety program to be recognized by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. A new VBP module focused on biosecurity under development will
provide Canada’s cattle producers with added knowledge about Best Management Practices to minimize the risk of disease introduction and spread, and
should help further reduce the need for antimicrobial use.
Of course there is always room for improvement. Canada’s beef industry supports science-based efforts to ensure the continued effectiveness of antimicrobial
products in veterinary and human health. This includes continued and increased surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in samples collected from Canadian
cattle operations, abattoirs and beef. Also important is scientific antimicrobial resistance research through the ongoing Beef Cluster to investigate the influence
of antimicrobial use in feedlot production on resistance to antimicrobials of relevance to human health in samples collected from the feedlot environment,
manure, soil, water, and downstream environments. Canada’s beef industry will continue its ongoing communication and extension efforts to help producers,
veterinarians and influential organizations make informed decisions that will keep important drugs working effectively for cattle and humans in the future.
Together these ongoing efforts will help to reinforce and strengthen Canada’s overall AMR surveillance systems and perhaps bring the perspective necessary to
facilitate a shift in focus to more relevant sources of concern outside of Canada’s beef industry.
2015 NBQA retail beef survey to benchmark trends in consumer
satisfaction with Canadian beef
Results from the 2009 National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) survey of retail beef showed an increase
in Canadian consumer satisfaction with steaks purchased at retail stores in eastern Canada (Quebec
and Ontario) and in the west (Alberta). Consumer satisfaction findings were supported by the results of
laboratory measurements which indicated that the tenderness of Canadian beef had improved.
In 2015 the NBQA retail beef survey will be repeated to further benchmark trends in consumer satisfaction
as well as beef quality and specification related attributes. Trends observed in 2009, such as a decrease
in the average thickness of retail steaks sold in Canada, will be further evaluated. In addition, with
funding from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency and the Beef Research Cluster, detailed data will
be obtained on how Canadian beef is merchandised. An area of particular importance to beef producers
is the prevalence of method of production claims (organic, sustainable, antibiotic free etc.). These claims
require producers to make adjustments on-farm and may result in higher production costs. Therefore it is
important that these trends be monitored and the information shared with the supply chain.
Over time the Canadian retail landscape is changing and price, labour availability and other market factors
are significantly influencing how beef products are sold. Some have suggested that increasingly the larger
Volume 13 Issue 7 • April 13, 2015
retail food market in Canada is diverging with higher-end and lower price focused segments becoming more prominent while approaches that cater to the middle of
the market are losing share. Despite a changing environment the one constant for the sector is the importance of ensuring consumer satisfaction with Canadian beef
and this is the ultimate focus of the retail portion of the NBQA.
The NBQA is being conducted from 2014 to 2017 and is financially supported by the Beef Cattle Industry Science Cluster and coordinated by the CCA.
Potential for hay prices to ease in short term, but outlook uncertain as
acres drop
Grain prices have moved into higher price ranges, cattle prices have increased dramatically, and this has also supported higher hay prices.
Although hay prices will follow general market trends, hay is also very dependent on weather, as it is a localized market due to high transportation costs. Extreme
cases such as large U.S. droughts can decrease Canadian hay stocks as well. Droughts or harsh winters can have a big impact on supply and demand from year
to year. Drought years certainly stand out on historical price charts, but despite relatively good crops the last couple years, long harsh winters have required more
feed for cow-herds, and this also drove up prices.
This winter has been much more seasonal, and there have been
anecdotal reports that hay prices may be easing slightly. Forage prices
are impacted by grain prices, because tame forage has to compete with
the grain industry for land use. Over the last few years, as producers
have exited the cattle industry, and grain producers have been looking
to expand, tame forage acres have been dropping. Statistics Canada
has been showing tame hay acres generally increasing since the
1970’s, likely related to the higher productivity of tame forage, but after
peaking in 2006 at just over 8.2 million hectares, acreage has quite
rapidly decreased 18 per cent to 6.76 million hectares in 2014. Over this
same period, the Canadian beef cow herd has decreased 27 per cent.
Although the cow-calf sector is currently very profitable, longer
term hay prices and forage availability will be critical to a larger and
competitive cow-calf sector.
Forage Quality
Matching forage quality to animal needs is part of cattle management as nutrient requirements of cattle change throughout the year based on the stage of
the production cycle. When feed grain prices are high, a high-quality forage can provide a lower cost ration than a low quality forage supplemented with a
concentrate. Failing to provide all the nutrition a cow needs due to low quality forage can have animal health and performance consequences that directly
impact cost of production (COP) (e.g. loss of body condition, dystocia, lower milk production, and delayed returning to estrous). This can be largely avoided
by feed testing, particularly when hay is of an unknown quality.
Stage cut, fertilization and grazing intensity determine forage quality, and it refers to the plant’s ability to provide digestible, absorbable, essential nutrients
at levels that meet the animal’s physiologic needs. Forage quality is a function of voluntary intake and nutritive value (nutrient content and digestibility).1 It is
typically assessed by measuring crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), and acid detergent fibre (ADF) (Kerley 2004)2.
Continue reading at http://www.beefresearch.ca/research-topic.cfm/forage-quality-86
Volume 13 Issue 7 • April 13, 2015
A bumper crop of calves enjoy the sunshine and fresh air in Manitoba.
Photo credit: CCA director Ramona Blyth.
CCA Action News
Staff Contributors: John Masswohl, Reynold Bergen, Tracy Herbert, Mark Klassen, Brian Perillat
Contributors: Karin Schmid
Written, edited and compiled by: Gina Teel, Anthony Murdoch
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association is the national voice for Canada’s beef cattle industry representing 68,500 beef
farms and feedlots.
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