INDEPTH: FOOD
The state of meat
CBC News Online | June 11, 2004
When foot-and-mouth disease and mad cow disease threatened livestock Europe in March 2001, the two groups that benefited most were vegetarians and North American producers.
The vegetarians, predictably, said, "We told you so."
"The foot-and-mouth crisis just underlines what we have been saying for a long time, that vegetarianism is really the only long-term solution," said Andrew Butler, speaking for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "If we continue to farm animals as we are now and rely on a meat-based diet, then who knows what horrors await us around the next corner?"
| Vegetarians |
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Only two per cent of Canadians are vegetarians, according to the Beef Information Centre.
That number is slightly higher for the Unites States where about 2.5 per cent of the population are vegetarians, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group.
Similar surveys in the United Kingdom show between 4 and 7 per cent of Britons are vegetarians, while a higher number say they avoid eating red meat.
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Butler's comments reflect the views of European vegetarians. Outbreaks of mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease have hurt confidence in their food production systems. Some Europeans seeking an alternative turn to vegetarianism and organic foods.
Canadian figures show that in 1998, sales of organic food in France totalled nearly $1 billion. French organic food sales account for less than one per cent of total retail food sales but have increased by up to 30 per cent annually in recent years.
The Canadian Organic Advisory Board estimates the organic industry in Canada was worth nearly $1 billion in 1999-2000. It is expanding by about 20 per cent a year.
As meat consumption declined in Europe, Canadian eating habits changed very little.
In 2000, Canadians consumed an average of 63 kilograms of red meat per person, down one pound from a year earlier and mostly due to a slight drop in beef consumption.
Top Beef
and cattle
Exporters (2001) |
Top Beef
and cattle
Importers (2001) |
| Australia | U.S. |
| U.S. | Japan |
| Canada | Russia |
| Brazil | M. East and N. Africa |
| EU | EU |
| New Zealand | Mexico |
| India | Canada |
| Mexico | Korea |
| Uruguay | CEECs** |
| Argentina | China |
Top Pork
Exporters (2000) |
Top Pork
Importers (2000) |
| Canada | Japan |
| U.S. | Italy |
| Denmark | Germany |
| France | United Kingdom |
| Poland | France |
| Germany | U.S. |
| China | Russia |
| Korea | Greece |
| Netherlands | China |
Belgium-
Luxembourg | Mexico |
Source: Foreign Agriculture Service and GIRA
*The European Union
**Central and Eastern European Countries |
What did this all mean for Canada's livestock industry?
Prices rose for both beef and pork, however Steven Cohen of the National Pork Producers Council in the United States told CBC News Online that the higher prices for pork in the U.S. have more to do with the recent harsh winter than with anything happening in Europe. Stuart Devries of the Ontario Pork Council agreed, saying there could be benefits to Canadian hog producers down the line as a result of the livestock diseases – especially if they spread and worsen – but the high prices for pork were not the result of the troubles overseas.
In the third week of March 2001, the price for Ontario pork stood at $1.89 per kilogram, with a break-even price (where the costs of raising a pig to market weight equal the profits) of $1.35 per kilogram. It was a substantial improvement over the situation in September 1999, when Canadian farmers were selling pork for 40 cents per kilogram when the break-even price was $1.20 per kilogram.
That was when pork farmers determined it made more economic sense to starve their animals, or let them run wild, than to raise them to selling weight. It was the worst situation pork farmers had faced since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Fortunately, the situation has improved significantly. In 2002, Canada was the world's top exporter of pork, for the second year in a row. Much of the demand for Canadian pork came from Asian markets, particularly in Japan.
As for European meat eaters, they're looking for alternatives, too. They are developing a greater appetite for horsemeat and even kangaroo. Agriculture Canada reports more than 100 metric tonnes of Canadian horsemeat a week (or about 1,000 horses) are being flown to France and Germany to meet the demand for the lean meat, which is said to be sweeter than beef. Belgium, Italy and Japan are also ordering more of the alternative meat.
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Top Beef Eating Countries in 1999 (per capita kilograms per person):
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| Argentina | 68.3 |
| Uruguay | 54.6 |
| U.S. | 45.2 |
| Australia | 38.3 |
| Brazil | 34.3 |
| New Zealand | 32.8 |
| Canada | 32.2 |
| Italy | 27.0 |
| France | 26.9 |
| Czech Rep. | 23.1 |
| Source: Foreign Agriculture Service
*carcass weight equivalent |
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