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Reports talking about animals

In Canada, beef exports increased by almost 500% between 1989 and 2001.6 Over the same time period, cattle inventory in Canada increased from 11 million head to almost 14 million.7 The beef industry became an important part of the agri-food economy and the second largest (after wheat) earner of foreign exchange in the agricultural sector. In 2002, farm cash receipts from cattle and calves totaled nearly C$8 billion, 21% of the total C$36 billion in farm cash receipts (Statistics Canada).

In the United States, beef exports doubled from 1 billion lbs in 1989 to 2.3 billion lbs in 2001 (USDA, Red Meat Yearbook). Over the same period beef imports increased from 2.3 billion lbs to 3.2 billion lbs (USDA, Red Meat Yearbook). While cross border beef trade had increased, the United States remained a major importer of beef. In contrast, the response to expansionary policies in Canada meant that exports became very important. Net exports of cattle, which had been small and occasionally negative before 1987, grew to about 1.5 million
head by 2002. Net exports of dressed beef, again of a minor magnitude until 1995, grew to about 350,000 tonnes by 2002. By 2002, beef export earnings of about C$4 billion from exports against only C$1 billion in beef imports (Canfax, 2003).

Source: Disruption in the supply chain for beef and pork

Link: Re-opening the U.S./Canadian Border to Live Cattle and Beef Trade: Estimated Impacts on U.S. Beef Producers
Link: Structural Implications of Persistent Disharmony in North American Beef and Pork Industries
Link: The Value of USDA Situation and Outlook Information in Hog and Cattle Markets


Other EVANA-articles about this topic:
Farm Animal Agony (en)

Director Richard Linklater is taking on the American meat industry: 'Fast Food Nation' (en)