A proposed beef-packing plant in Prince George could have major economic benefits for agriculture in the Burns Lake area, according to Kevin Boon, general manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association (BCCA).
An announcement related to the proposed facility — which has been in the works for several years — is expected at the BCCA’s annual general meeting, which is taking place in Smithers from May 31 to June 2.
The Lakes District could be “one of the major areas” supplying the plant with cattle, said Boon in an interview with the Lakes District News. The facility would provide ranchers in the area with a chance to expand their herds, while farmers would see opportunities developing feeding operations, he said.
He said the proposed plant would offer savings in transportation costs for ranchers in the region, who generally ship their cattle to Alberta for finishing — a process that involves fattening the animal with high-energy feed before slaughter.
“There’s huge economic potentials for pretty much all British Columbia cattle producers,” he said, adding that transportation costs could be reduced by upwards of $100 per head. “Anything that’s in a 700 km radius is going to benefit immensely from it.”
But the construction of a packing plant would be a small part of a much larger story, said Boon. An entire feedlot industry would have to emerge to support the plant.
As it stands, it’s cheaper for B.C. ranchers to ship their cattle to Alberta than to import grain into B.C., Boon said. Using local grain would eliminate transport costs, and grain producers in areas including the Nechako and the Peace regions would stand to gain in the feedlot sector.
In early March, Boon was in Burns Lake for a workshop where he told beef producers the proposed facility would have have the capacity to process 50,000 head of cattle annually, or roughly 200 daily.
That figure could rise to 100,000 head of cattle worth about $250 million annually, serving regional, national and international markets, according to a summary of Boon’s presentation by the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN).
The RDBN summary states that the Port of Prince Rupert lacks refrigeration facilities, so exported meat would pass through the Prince George airport.
Plans for a federally inspected beef-processing plant have been in the works for years, with the BCCA receiving $144,000 in provincial and federal funding in 2016 to develop plans for the facility.
But the construction of that facility doesn’t appear to be imminent. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) told the Lakes District News that no applications have been made for the certification of a CFIA-inspected facility in Prince George as of May 23. Meat processing firms that sell their products internationally or inter-provincially have to be federally registered.
The provincial ministry of agriculture wouldn’t confirm any details about plans for the facility. However, Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham said in a statement that she has been working closely with stakeholders and noted that she would be speaking at the BCCA meeting in Smithers.
“I look forward to talking to them about ways we can help improve life for our amazing B.C. farmers and ranchers,” she said.
