Message from the Executive Director

Richard Horne EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I would like to start by thanking the BFO Board of Directors, Advisory Councillors, committee representatives, staff, and membership at-large for their relentless dedication and commitment to the Ontario beef industry. I am privileged to work for a sector rooted in such deep history and tradition, and that has such pride in the work done each and every day by men and women across this great province who are committed to raising and feeding cattle to the highest standards while producing some of the best beef in the world.

Although directors and staff weren’t able to meet with producers and industry partners in the way we have been accustomed to and would like over the past year, BFO made a concerted effort to increase our communications and outreach to local associations, committee representatives, supply chain partners, and the broader BFO membership to ensure important information was communicated in as broad and timely a manner as possible. We launched a COVID-19 webpage that was updated on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. Regular industry update calls were held throughout the year to update local leadership on topics such as government decisions and announcements, BFO advocacy activities, market conditions and marketing efforts, and to serve as a forum for discussion and feedback. On this front, large steps were taken this year that I hope we can build on in 2021, and we welcome new ideas on how we can improve our communication with members.

BFO was forced to double down on our political presence and lobbying efforts, and we returned our focus to more collaborative approaches with other organizations to address issues of shared concern. I believe this allowed BFO to achieve far more than we could have done on our own.

The renewal of the Ontario Agricultural Sustainability Coalition welcomed back the Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Sheep Farmers and the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, joining BFO, Ontario Pork and Veal Farmers of Ontario. This coalition was instrumental in helping deliver the additional $50 million in government funding for the Ontario Risk Management Program.

Similarly, our partnership with the eastern cattle coalition, comprised of members from Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, helped drive discussions at the national table with respect to important requests of government regarding specified risk material (SRM) removal requirements, business risk management enhancements, trade barriers with South Korea, and the trade imbalance with the European Union and the United Kingdom, among others.

Our collaboration with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the other Ontario livestock organizations in the development of the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act helped drive that legislation through the Ontario Legislature. Many of the regulations that were eventually adopted came from recommendations and advice developed jointly by the various farm groups involved.

The consensus-building model used by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association throughout 2020, which included a much more prominent role for provincial organizations and the National Cattle Feeders’ Association, was, I believe, pivotal in the creation and launch of cattle set-aside programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. It also helped form a unified position for the cattle sector on business risk management programs.

Lastly, the partnership formed with Meat and Poultry Ontario, the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the eastern cattle coalition to draw attention to processing capacity issues in Ontario and eastern Canada led to significant government investment in the sector this year.

If there is a take-away from 2020 it is this: collaboration is key if we have any hope in convincing decisionmakers to listen and address our concerns and priorities.

We also saw positive movement towards addressing long-standing industry issues this year, which was great to see. Canada’s BSE risk status is on track to be lowered from controlled to negligible by the World Organisation for Animal Health this May, if all goes according to plan. This has been a long time coming. Similarly, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has finally opened up to the idea of adjusting Canada’s SRM removal requirements, which has been costing our sector tens of millions in lost value every year. I am happy to see meaningful discussions on this topic now taking place within government and industry. The launch of the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework under the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) at the Cargill Guelph plant was also welcome and long overdue news. The triggering of financial credits from Cargill for qualifying cattle is the first tangible return on investment for producers who have fulfilled CRSB sustainability requirements through the VBP+ program.

BFO also took the time to look inward this year, launching the first comprehensive governance review in close to 20 years. Taking stock of how BFO conducts its affairs and how the organization can provide better value to members was an important exercise. I commend the Board of Directors for pursuing this project. Recommendations and advice provided by internal and external stakeholders and members as part of this formal review will be assessed carefully in 2021 to determine what steps, changes or tweaks need to be made to improve the organization’s effectiveness and representation. We appreciate the time that participants in this review process took to help us gain meaningful feedback and input.

In closing, I am thankful for the thoughtful counsel, collaborative spirit and unrelenting perseverance many members and industry colleagues within the beef and broader agri-food sector have shown throughout the year in response to the challenges facing our industry and the economy at-large. I am also deeply appreciative of the hard work and dedication of the BFO staff, who rose to challenges beyond their roles and worked so well together to accomplish what appeared to be impossible at times. 2020 was a year none of us will soon forget, but I am proud of what BFO has been able to achieve and I maintain optimism about the course that we have charted, and for what lies ahead.

I wish each of you and your families a good recovery from the effects COVID-19 has had on personal lives and business operations, and a happy and healthy 2021.