After months of anticipation, the Beef Cattle Research Council and Canadian Cattlemen's Association launched the Verified Beef Production Plus program.

The program, which is an expansion of an on-farm food safety program created by the CCA, will include training and auditing for animal care, biosecurity, environmental stewardship, and on-farm food safety within the cow-calf and feedlot sectors.

The program is voluntary, and requires producers to achieve demonstrable threshold levels in order to obtain registered status.

The program also promises to provide a level of transparency on key production practices to inform consumers that the beef they purchase is raised with appropriate oversight and care on the farm, ranch, or feedlot.

Cecilie Fleming, who ranches near Fort MacLeod, is the Chair of the producer-led VBP+ Transition Management Committee in Alberta.
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