Tyson stops buying Canadian beef due to US country-of-origin meat labeling

[Okotoks]

Well this is probably going to hurt just when the market looks the strongest in years. I doubt the new deal with Europe will come anywhere close to making up the difference.
:'(  (argue)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-beef-prices-could-fall-as-tyson-stops-buying-1.2252149

CBC News video link
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Business/ID/2414455040/

 

[TPX]

So the american's don't want our oil or beef, so much for free trade and being our biggest ally and trading partner.  Time to start pushing Canadian products over sea's.

 

[buckeye]

I don't understand why the US imports anything in that is or can be produced within the US

 

[justintime]

I think we need to remember where the population of Canada and the US are located. US plants are extremely important to Western Canadian feeders, and the eastern Canadian market is extremely important to Eastern US packers. It is much closer for north- south movement of live and processed beef. Alberta is closer to Texas than it is to Ontario and Quebec.  The beef industry is quite unique in that it has always been a North American marketplace and it benefits both countries to work together to maintain this. Everyone benefits when we keep the trade corridors open. Absolutely everyone loses if the US aNd Canada become too protectionist in free movement of beef. It simply should and always should remain this way... or the beef industry as a whole will suffer. This move made by Tyson has been spurred by a very protection minded government in Washington as well as protectionalistic livestock groups like RCalf. This logic may sound good and gather some votes, but I guarantee you that it will end up with cattle producers in both countries suffering over the long run. Why can't we just play nice?

 

[HF CHARS]

I agree that we need to work together,,,but in fairness ,while on a visit to Japan they were promoting Canadian Beef,,,shouldn't we have the right to label our product..    Don't think we should cut off imports ..but I do think its only fair that we can label US beef

 

[BTDT]

Tyson has to blame something.... I suppose COOL is as good as excuse as any.

But I find it odd that everyone, Canadians and Americans alike, are so very proud of their product, yet Canadians do not want US to label their beef, nor do they want theirs labels. And some US feeders are of the same mind.
I have no issue with labeling. Be proud of your product and let the consumers decide. Simple as that.

Buckeye - Americans want CHEAP food. Most foreign countries such as Japan and Europe want QUALITY and are willing to pay for it. So we export our good products and import cheap meat. Again, simple as that.

 

[RyanChandler]

Buckeye - Americans want CHEAP food. Most foreign countries such as Japan and Europe want QUALITY and are willing to pay for it. So we export our good products and import cheap meat. Again, simple as that.

We can even generally import comparable products cheaper.

 

[obie105]

No offense to anyone but when I worked at a Tyson beef plant Canadian cattle was a huge pain in the a**. They have to be kept seperate, kill seperate, while a Canadian truck is unloading they can't run in any cattle. They are generally even kept in a cooler seperate. This has to do with export regulations and where the cattle come from.

 

[Okotoks]

Tyson has to blame something.... I suppose COOL is as good as excuse as any.

But I find it odd that everyone, Canadians and Americans alike, are so very proud of their product, yet Canadians do not want US to label their beef, nor do they want theirs labels. And some US feeders are of the same mind.
I have no issue with labeling. Be proud of your product and let the consumers decide. Simple as that.

Buckeye - Americans want CHEAP food. Most foreign countries such as Japan and Europe want QUALITY and are willing to pay for it. So we export our good products and import cheap meat. Again, simple as that.

So you are fine with government mandated labelling and the costs, rules and regulations that go with the resulting red tape, that is quite different than marketing a product. It has nothing to do with being proud of one's product. In the long run what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and the Canadian beef industry will end up stronger. Yes there is still US beef being sold in Canada.

 

[BTDT]

Actually, yes, I am ok with "extra labeling cost" because I do not think it will be significant, if any.  Really, how much extra ink is it going to require?
Red tape? Only until things get "routine". And pride has EVERYTHING to do with it.  Why bother making a superior product if you are not going to be recognized and rewarded for it?  I have spoke with many consumers and darn near 93% said they would be willing to pay extra (up to 25-50 cents a pound more was the most popular answer) for a US product. I am sure it might be similar in Canada with Canadians. 
And why does it have to be "all" or "nothing"? Just label one.... label either the US or the foreign meats. I have wondered out loud why the big GMO labeling debate is so huge. If the anti-GMO folks want labeling, why not just label those products that are NOT GMO? It would be fewer products to label and since they want products to be identified, their goal would be achieved. 

 

[frostback]

For COOL labeling, don't they want country of birth, country where fed and country where processed? Lots of north American cattle cross borders for these stages in life to death. That would add money to keep track of that. And if born in Canada but fed and processed in US, who gets the label?

 

[justintime]

I agree with frostback on this one. US feedlots are major players in purchasing feeder cattle in Canada, and again it makes good sense as they are reasonably close and have large numbers to select from. Depending on the differences in our currency, at times there are also lots of US cattle fed in Canada. When we were operating our feedlot, we not only purchased feeder cattle in the US when conditions were right, but we also purchased hundreds of loads of corn from the US. We were able to buy corn in Minnesota cheaper than we could buy barley locally and we got it trucked back here by trucks that were hauling potash to US markets. Again, this should be a North American based industry, and when we work together, everyone benefits. I can understand offshore labeling, but I think the labeling of continental beef is a bit absurd.

 

[cowboy_nyk]

Frostback:
From my understanding, Tyson has only stopped buying Fed Cattle form Canada.  They will continue to buy Canadian feeder cattle and place them in US feedlots.  This tells me that those cattle probably are labelled as "Product of USA" once slaughtered. 

The whole thing reeks of protectionism.  Companies that want to market "Canadian Beef" or American Beef" have always had the freedom to do so.  To have the government legislating the labeling of Country of Origin (which is a load of crap anyway) seems like a huge waste of time/resources that will eventually hurt the beef industry on both sides of the border.

 

[RyanChandler]

wishy washy wishy washy -  I mean, WOW!!

All those in favor of production ag subsidies should be HUGE proponents of protectionist economic policies here in the U.S.   

 

[TPX]

wishy washy wishy washy -  I mean, WOW!!

All those in favor of production ag subsidies should be HUGE proponents of protectionist economic policies here in the U.S. 

Protectionist economic policies from a government kept a float from foreign government loans. 

 

[RyanChandler]

Surely you're talking about Canada.