The Beef Information Centre (BIC) on Friday reinforced its commitment to work with beef buyers, retailers and food service distributors in the U.S. by launching details of the various programs and services available to them. BIC's goal is to provide marketing expertise, technical resources and information to help U.S. partners build their business with Canadian beef. These resources offer an additional avenue through which to gain insight on marketing beef to the next link in the supply chain right through to the end consumer.

"The opportunities and benefits of sharing expertise are tremendous," says Marty Carpenter, Director, U.S. Market Development for BIC. "That's why the Beef Information Centre wants to work with U. S. partners, using our resources to assist them in meeting their business needs and boosting sales."

To achieve this, BIC has put together a U.S. market development team and a full roster of resources. This team has been providing their expertise, as well as BIC's tools and information to assist their U.S. partners develop and build their business with Canadian beef.

To support, enhance and encourage these ongoing relationships, BIC has developed a unique Partners Program, working with organizations utilizing Canadian beef to create the opportunity to build their business. From information on understanding meat quality and grading standards to marketing expertise and financial support for business development, BIC is an invaluable resource for its U.S partners.

"When we first began the Partners Program, we recognized that our U.S. partners had not had the opportunity to fully understand the tools and resources we bring to the table," says Carpenter. "We will continue to evolve and offer programs that meet the needs of our U.S. partners."

BIC recently launched a website specifically for the U.S. market at www.canadianbeef.info. Upcoming initiatives include the launch of an innovative marketing campaign and the distribution of an educational e-newsletter to continue to raise awareness and strengthen out relationships with our US partners.

The Canadian Beef Industry

The Canadian Beef and Cattle Industry is comprised of approximately 90,000 farmers and ranchers who raise cattle right across Canada. The vast majority of farms and ranches are family-run operations with an average beef cow herd size of 53 animals. Canada's cattle processing industry facilities are among the most modern in the world and employ the latest in food safety intervention technologies.

Canada is the only country in North America to have a mandatory national cattle identification program, implemented to trace an animal back to its herd of origin in the event of a serious animal health or food safety issue.

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