BC celebrates Beef Day

In case you weren’t aware, the provincial government and the provinces ranching community have gotten together to proclaim today as BC Beef Day.

This is the fourth annual event that is a partnership between the government, BC Cattlemen's Association, BC Association of Cattle Feeders and the BC Association of Abattoirs.

Photo: Contributed - BC Government Caucus

The “Certified BC Beef” marketing brand was formulated to inform consumers that the beef was born, raised and processed locally. Now their collective goal is to complete the provincial certification process, which would allow "Certified BC Beef" to become the formal standard for high-quality beef products originating from ranchers, producers and processors throughout British Columbia.

With the help of $10,250 in funding from the BC government's Buy Local program, they are hoping to build awareness and consumer demand for "Certified BC Beef" products used by retailers and chefs. The brand is also being promoted through attendance at trade shows, and distribution of information on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

"BC Beef Day is a great opportunity to communicate with government and discuss the beef industry's valuable contribution to a strong provincial economy,” says David Haywood-Farmer, president of the BC Cattlemen's Association.

“BC ranchers are proud to raise a high-quality product for local and global markets while stewarding the lands of BC and sustaining a healthy environment for all to enjoy today and generations to come."

The overall strategy has a goal of becoming a $14-billion-a-year agrifoods industry by 2017.