At a glance
At a glance
Cattle production has grown dramatically in Quebec In the past thirty years. The quality of the livestock stands out in the markets and the sector is consolidating. Quebec is still a modest player on the Canadian scale, with beef production accounting for around 5% of national production. However, the Quebec veal sector is the unchallenged leader in Canada, with over 80% of national production. We should also note that animals culled from the dairy and cow-calf herds contribute to the growth of beef production (so called commercial beef). Quebec produces more than 13% of Canadian commercial beef.
Comme ailleurs au Canada, la crise The bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) et les conditions économiques défavorables de la fin des années 2000 ont certes entrainé un recul de la production. However, thanks to its abundant pasture and forage, Quebec has strong development potential.
Beef production ranks fourth in Quebec livestock production, after dairy, hog and poultry production. In Quebec, there are currently about 12,100 farm operations partially or totally dedicated to cattle production. The producers are men and women with a passion for their profession. Over the years, they have developed modern livestock farming conditions and rigorous quality control, favouring on-farm food safety, animal welfare and animal health.
The agroenvironmental best practices implemented also ensure the sustainable development of cattle farms. Producers care deeply about offering consumers, nutritious, healthy meat of the highest quality!
Present throughout Quebec, cattle production is a key pillar of our agriculture and regional development. About 728,500 cattle are marketed each year, for a farmgate value of about $638 million.
Two Sectors - 2012 Overview
Quebec cattle production encompasses two sectors: beef production and veal production. The beef sector includes feeder calves (cattle fed on pasture), fed cattle, cull cattle and bob calves. The heavy veal sector includes grain-fed veal calves and milk-fed veal calves.
1 - FADQ - Insurable volume
2 - FADQ - Feeder calves = insurable beef cows x 0.8 calve sold/cow
3 - FPBQ - Sales Agencies
4 - Statistics Canada
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