Prairie Peoples Packers: Progress in the Post-Productivist Project?
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Transcript of Prairie Peoples Packers: Progress in the Post-Productivist Project?
Prairie Peoples Packers: Progress in the Post-Productivist Project?
Ian MacLachlan and Ivan Townshend,
Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge, Alberta, T1K 3M4. E-Mail: [email protected]
Western Division, Canadian Association of Geographers
March 10, 2007
Feed Bunk Capacity, 2002
Feed bunkNumber of Region
capacityfeedlots
564,30070Lethbridge County
102,70018Northern Alberta
19,0006Southeast
240,70029Newell-Taber
73,50014Foothills
96,00020Red Deer
317,40032Calgary-Claresholm
122,70021Three Hills-Vermilion
1,536,300210Alberta Total
Feedlots > 1,000 headSource: CanFax, 2002
Feed Bunk Capacity, 2007
Feedlots > 1,000 headSource: CanFax, 2007
Region Number of Feed bunk
feedlots capacity
Lethbridge County 65 565,200
Northern Alberta 17 125,050
Southeast 5 16,500
Newell-Taber 28 238,900
Foothills 13 78,000
Red Deer 19 66,300
Calgary-Claresholm 28 369,200
Three Hills-Vermilion 22 127,100
Alberta Total 197 1,586,250
Structure of Talk
Agroindustrialization Post-productivist paradigm The BSE Crisis Ruminant slaughter capacity expansion New Gen. Co-ops & small scale slaughter Prairie People’s Packers:
Progress in the Post-Productivist Project?
Winnipeg Tribune 1906
2.4 tons per year per head
Agroindustrialization
Concentration
Intensification
Specialization
Post-Productivist Transition of Agriculture
Movement away from Concentration Intensification Specialization
Towards Extensification Diversification Dispersion
How will Post-Productivism be manifest?
Farm diversification Agricultural - traditional mixed farming Other businesses located on the farm
Off-farm employment Winding down, hobby-farming, retirement Reduction of food output
… in favour of food quality
How will Post-Productivism be manifest?
Policy & Regulation Reduction of agricultural subsidies More competitive markets for food Growing regulation of agriculture
More sustainable agricultural methods Reduced chemical farming Preserving environmentally sensitive areas Habitat reserves
Food safety Traceability Organic farming
How will Post-Productivism be manifest?
“New Consumer”: Growing interest in origin & processing of food High quality specialty foods
Healthy food Traceability
Regional foods Authenticity of geographical origin Country-of-origin labeling Relocalization, food localism, 100 mile diet
“At La Gantoise, the foodchain has only 2 links - you, the consumer and us, the producer. Our frozen meat also comes with a guarantee of traceablility for every cut of beef you purchase. Our experienced on-site butcher knows how to prepare fine cuts of beef.”
Post-productivism or Agroindustrialization?
2 regimes, each with its own geography
Intensive, high-input, high-output, large scale “hot-spots” e.g.
Lethbridge County Fraser Valley
Extensive, low input, low output, quality, sustainability
Marginal agricultural regions e.g. Foothills Cariboo
The BSE Crisis
May 20, 2003, Wanham, Alberta U.S., Mexican, Asian borders closed
To live animals on the hoof To Canadian beef products
September 2003 – border reopened to UTM beef July 2005 – border reopens to UTM cattle
30
35
40
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60
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Annu
al b
eef c
onsu
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ion
(kg/
capi
ta)
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Tota
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tle p
opul
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Janu
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1
Beef consumption Cattle population
Strategy toReposition the Canadian Livestock Industry.
Federal government, 10 Sept 2004: reopening the U.S. border facilitating increased domestic slaughter capacity sustaining the industry until capacity is increased increasing the international market share of Canadian
beef.
House of Commons
Hon. Stephen Harper (Leader of the Opposition, CPC): “Mr. Speaker, our farm families were told that the border would be opened. Now the border is not open. They do not want to have more wait and see. They want the Prime Minister to look and to take some action. Slaughter capacity must be increased.”
(House of Commons, Debates, March 8, 2005)
Source: Estimates provided by Red Meat Section, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
Canadian Weekly Cattle Slaughter Capacity
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
Provincial non-fed cattle
Provincial fed cattle
Federal non-fed cattle
Federal fed cattle
40% increase!
Big 3 – merger & large scale plant expansions:
1. Cargill, High River Better Beef, Guelph
(2005)
2. Tyson Foods, Brooks
3. XL Foods, Calgary WCBP, Moose Jaw
(2000)
People’s Packers Mainly NGCs Salmon Arm, B.C.–
Borden, PEI Middle-sized
Cattlemen, January 2005
People’s Packers Characteristics
New Gen Coops or producer-owned Members buy “hooks” – obligations to deliver
livestock for slaughter
Traceability Natural/organic beef – large specialty markets Value-added processing – local foods
Natural Valley Slaughter Plant: Neudorf, Saskatchewan
September 2006
Ranchers Own Meat ProcessorsStony Plain, AB
January 2007
New Plant Additions to Canadian Weekly Cattle Slaughter Capacity
Name Location Organization Capacity Status
Rangeland Beef Processors Salmon Arm, BC NGC 500 Abandoned
Peace Country Tender Beef Co-op Berwyn AB NGC 500 Pending
Rancher's Beef Rocky View AB Producers 4,000 June 2006
Canadian Premium Meats Lacombe, AB Corporate 500 Opening May 2007
South River Foods Lacombe, AB Corporate 2,500 Pending
Rancher's Own Meat Processors Stony Plain, AB NGC 4,000 Opening Fall 2007
TK Ranch Natural Beef Hanna, AB NGC 300 Abandoned
Northwest Cattlemen's Alliance Lethbridge, AB NGC 10,000 Abandoned
New Generation Processor's Coop Pincher Creek AB NGC 1,000 Abandoned
Prairie Prime Processing Co-op Ryley, AB NGC 2,500 Pending
Alberta Value Chain Coop Ltd. Ft Assiniboine AB NGC 500 Abandoned
Canada Farm Direct AB acquisition Producers 24,000 Pending
Natural Valley Farms Inc. Neudorf, SK NGC 1,250 Sep 2006
Natural Valley Farms Inc. Wolseley, SK NGC Processing only
Beef Initiative Group SK? NGC 7,500 Pending
DMB Food Processors (Canada) Qu'Appelle, SK Producers 10,000 Pending
Nesco Meats Melfort, SK NGC 1,600 Pending
Rancher's Choice Beef Co-op Dauphin, MB NGC 1,300 Abandoned
Natural Prairie Beef Inc. Neepawa, MB Producers 1,000 Pending
PRO-East Beef Eastern ON NGC 1,500 Pending
Brussels Processing Plant Brussels, ON NGC 2,500 Pending
Atlantic Beef Products Inc. Borden, PEI NGC 500 Dec 2004
Σ=10,250
Peoples Packers
Cows that under normal market circumstances would have been culled
Expansion to Existing Federally Inspected Cattle Slaughter Capacity in Canada (Weekly)
Name Location Prov Livestock 2003 2006
Cargill Foods High River AB Cattle 20,000 29,000
Lakeside Packers (Tyson) Brooks AB Cattle 20,000 28,200
Better Beef (Cargill Foods) Guelph ON Cattle 6,500 10,000
WCBP (XL) Moose Jaw SK Cattle 3,500 7,500
XL Foods Calgary AB Cattle 4,750 5,000
Abattoir Colbex (Levinoff) Drummondville QU Cows 2,500 4,750
M.G.I. Packers (Gencor Foods) Kitchener ON cows/bulls closed 1,500
St. Helens Packers Toronto ON Cattle closed 1,600
Ryding/Regency Meat Packers Toronto ON Cattle closed 1,500
All other federally inspected 3085 4,865
Total 60,335 93,915
Σ=33,600
Existing Large Scale Cattle Slaughter Plants
Conclusions Impact of BSE: capacity expansion
Vindication of the agroindustrial paradigm Limited post-productivist initiatives such as NGC
Will they succeed? 70% capacity utilization rate at present
Strong export markets for live cattle to US Strong Canadian dollar Overseas markets are either closed or restricted
E.g. China, Taiwan, South Korea (Japan 21 months)
Further research Model optimal plant locations?