Verified Beef Production (VBP) took a highly anticipated step today, with the official launch of Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+).
The refreshed program now includes training and auditing for animal care, biosecurity and environmental stewardship as well as the original on-farm food safety practices, in both the cow-calf and feedlot sectors.
“VBP+ is a straightforward, practical and low cost program to implement yet contains the robust validation required to satisfy the retailer, other end users, and consumer needs,” said chair of the producer-led VBP+ Trnasition Management Committee, Cecilie Fleming. “A voluntary program, VBP+ allows registered operations to be part of a bigger picture of raising beef cattle that can flow into the growing Canadian sustainable beef supply stream.”
The new modules were designed with the Environmental Farm Plan, the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle and the Canadian Beef Cattle On-Farm Biosecurity Standard in mind. Work is also underway to build on the capacity to communicate with the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS).
Training for the new modules will begin as early as July, and will expand into the use of webinars and combination webinar-teleworkshops.
Producers interested in participating in VBP+ should contact their provincial coordinator.
VBP grew from the Quality Starts Here program, with the work to expand the program beginning in late 2013. VBP+ is operated by the Beef Cattle Research Council, with funding coming from the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off and Growing Forward 2.
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