When Canadians think beef, they usually think Alberta. What few people realize is that the Maritimes had a thriving beef industry until a few years ago. Then it was hit by a double whammy. The first one came when Maple Leaf took over the last federally inspected plant in the Maritimes that processed beef. The new owners switched to pork and local beef farmers then had to ship their cattle to Ontario for processing. The shipping costs took a huge bite out of an industry that survives on small margins. Then BSE or mad cow disease struck one animal in the west, and that discovery reverberated throughout the nation dropping the price of beef to an all time low. Some Maritime farmers have gone under, others are just holding on by their nails.

In the midst of these troubles, Maritime beef producers have joined forces in an attempt to get more control of their industry. They've decided to build their own meat processing plant on Prince Edward Island but they needed partners. Co-op Atlantic has come on board as well as the P.E.I. government. Co-op Atlantic discovered there's a market for maritime beef if it's promoted and if the meat is consistently good. Local farmers responded to what the local market wanted and succeeded in improving their meat to the level where it started to win awards. They've proved to themselves they can control the quality of their product and now they want more control over the price they get for their beef.

Although BSE caused a huge drop in the price of beef for the farmers, the consumer is still paying much the same as they did before the drop. Alberta's auditor general has reported that the biggest packing companies have almost tripled their profits since mad cow. Maritime farmers hope that the new processing plant will not only reduce shipping costs, but give them more control over the price of their beef and having some ownership in a packing plant is a step closer to that.

Their hope is t with more control local farmers will have a better chance of surviving.