July 13th, 2015
Is there anything better than a delicious barbecued Canadian steak after a long and hard day’s work? Likely not! Canadian meat is an integral aspect of Canada’s agricultural sector, representing the biggest division of Canada’s food processing industry. Meat processing composes 10% of Canada’s agri-food exports, and the industry employs over 65,000 Canadians in both rural and urban settings.
What makes the Canadian meat-processing sector so important is its impressive contributions to manufacturing. In this regard they are also a leading sector, collecting annual sales in excess of CAD $24 billion dollars. The industry also exports CAD $5.5 billion a year in product value.
Of course, organizing this vast network of rural and urban food processing requires close supervision. The Canadian Meat Council (CMC), founded in 1919, is Canada’s federal representative for meat packers, processors, and suppliers of equipment, technology, and services. Their goal is to establish Canadian meat processors at home and around the world as a competitive, safe, and wholesome contributor to the global meat market.
How Does the CMC Work?
During their history as an organization, the CMC helps advocate for the needs of its members for any meat-related concerns. They break down government initiatives to evaluate their role and contribution to the overall industry. Whenever policies, regulations, or budget issues affect the meat industry, CMC will be involved in some manner.
The CMC provides an important voice to Canadian politicians that discusses industry perspectives and provides suggestions and solutions for new legislation moving forward in the future. They discuss these solutions with representatives from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and Health Canada.
They also interact with the media and human health and nutrition professionals and consumers.
What is the CMC Attempting to Accomplish?
The Canadian Meat Council works towards four major goals:
1) Having an extensive and loyal member base is the cornerstone of the CMC. They provide value added activities and services to their member base to service the needs of the overall collective.
2) Canada produces more meat than its citizens can consume. As such, the CMC helps promote and an internationally competitive regulatory framework for the highest standards of food safety in the Canadian meat-processing industry.
3) The CMC also works towards competitiveness not only at home but also abroad. Access to Canadian meat is naturally not restricted to Canada alone, and they help distributors and suppliers promote their products on these separate stages.
4) Animal welfare is also a prominent feature. They endorse third party animal welfare audits at various points in the supply chain to help ensure best practices and safety standards.
What Do They Provide Their Members?
Every year the CMC holds their Annual Conference where members can discuss development strategies and tactics for policy, regulations, and technical matters. This includes symposiums and workshops focused on technical advances in Canadian meat processing, animal welfare and regulatory initiatives, and food safety improvements.
On top of their parliamentary discussions, they also hold important networking events for their members, including golf tournaments in fishing derbies. This encourages high levels of interaction between a wide range of individuals involved in meat processing.
The Canadian Meat Council is an important collective voice in the Canadian meat processing sector. They help provide a series of accessible messages to government representatives involved with important decisions regarding the meat-processing industry. Together, the CMC and their members bring important industry issues to the fore while stimulating positive change, at home and around the globe. If you are interested in learning more about how you can inspire change in your meat-processing facility or company, get in contact with us at INAC today!
