VFO enters into agreements with the Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency
Partnership strengthens the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off program
Guelph, ON (March 11, 2020) – The Veal Farmers of Ontario (VFO) and the Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency (the Agency) are pleased to announce they have entered into agreements to strengthen Canadian veal marketing as a part of the larger Canadian beef and veal marketing initiative.
“This agreement between our two organizations ensures that VFO is meeting its obligations while at the same time providing value to both organizations with respect to programs and initiatives that will benefit our members and strengthen the overall Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off program,” said Tom Kroesbergen, VFO Chair.
“For our VFO members, it is very important to understand that there is no change to the licence fee rates or the amount being deducted from each head of veal cattle sold,” said Jennifer Haley, VFO Executive Director. VFO will be internally allocating a portion of its licence fees to be remitted to the Agency and will have full control over how these funds are allocated to veal specific programs.
Haley also explains that one of the additional benefits of the agreements will be the ability of the Agency to collect and remit to VFO licence fees on Ontario veal cattle that are processed outside of Ontario.
The Agreements will provide the opportunity for additional investments to be made into veal programming and marketing activities both domestically and in high-value global markets.
“As part of our overall strategic vision, VFO believes it is important to leverage the excellent marketing resources and infrastructure that are already in place with Canada Beef and we look forward to partnering with them to promote Canadian Veal both domestically and in export markets,” added Haley.
Agency Chair Chad Ross is confident the new Service and Collection Agreements will set up both organizations for success.
“We have worked hard to structure the Agreements in a way that ensures we can work together to bring more value for veal producers in Canada,” said Ross. “We continue to be committed to measurable returns for the check-off and import levy that are invested in our country, and that includes our veal producers as well.”
“Adding a member to the Agency’s Marketing Committee whose focus is veal marketing adds value to the skill set of our committee as a whole,” said Melinda German, General Manager of the Agency.
The Agreements between the Agency and VFO create consistency and aligned processes after the separation of VFO from the Beef Farmers of Ontario in 2015.
The Veal Farmers of Ontario is a producer-run organization that represents the interests of Ontario’s veal farmers, providing leadership to promote industry growth and viability through collaboration, innovation, marketing and education.
The Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency manages and administers the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off. By working with core partners, the Agency ensures that check-off dollars are invested into research, market development and promotion programs that deliver measurable value to the Canadian beef and veal industry. The Agency is responsible for communicating the value of the check-off investment, as well as training and education of producers and funding partners, regulatory management, collection and administration of check-off dollars.
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For more information, please contact:
Jennifer Haley, Executive Director, Veal Farmers of Ontario
519-824-2942
jhaley@livestockalliance.ca
Tayla Fraser, Manager, Partner Engagement
403-275-5890
info@cdnbeefcheckoff.ca