Opinion
Despite British Columbia Premier John Horgan’s assurance that getting involved in a trade war is not his intent, rumours of a looming Alberta Beef ban in the province continue to circulate. And where the rumours aren’t, the sudden, ill-advised political activists are — threatening boycotts of their own.
It all stems from an ongoing dispute between B.C. and Alberta, over the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, culminating (thus far) in Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announcing an immediate halt to imports of B.C. wine.
This is one good step to waking BC up to the fact they can’t attack our industry without a response from us. This action will harm the BC wine industry & I wish it didn’t have to be this way. …We don’t take this lightly.
— Rachel Notley (@RachelNotley) February 6, 2018
According to Notley, the action “will harm the BC wine industry”, which, in 2017, saw roughly 1.4 million cases cross the border, amounting to roughly $70 million.
Citizens of British Columbia are showing mixed responses to the announcement, and in the sand-flinging playground of social media, angry retorts of boycotting Alberta Beef are abound.
Tradewar you say?
More BC wine and less Alberta beef sounds like a decent lifestyle choice.. I shall toast Premier Notley from a pleasant beachfront vantage overlooking the unspoiled Salish Sea ~ Saluti!Keep Calm and Buy #BCWine pic.twitter.com/EcLOTbh5m9
— Pete Fry (@PtFry) February 7, 2018
My parents owned a cattle ranch just outside of Calgary, and I might never eat Alberta beef again. What a shame. (Now going out to purchase 12 CASES of BC wine with the $$ I’ll save on the beef. Thanks Rachel!)
— Cannablissed (@Cannadablissed) February 8, 2018
@RachelNotley about time we also start a campaign to #BoycottAlbertaBeef. Buy #USDAOrganic. #AlbertaBeef is produced in an unethical manner.
— Adrian Hassan (@AdrianH892) February 8, 2018
I bought Australian beef today instead of Alberta!
— Shane Johnson (@dv8shane) February 8, 2018
But here’s the thing.
Boycotting Alberta Beef is a kick in the teeth of B.C. producers.
That’s because not all ‘Alberta Beef’ is born and raised in the province. The consumer-branded product includes all beef produced in the province’s packing plants, even that which did not originate in the province.
“By WTO convention, the place of origin for a product is the location where the last substantial transformation of that product occurred,” reads the Alberta Beef Producers’ (ABP) webpage defining the product. “In what is clearly a substantial transformation, these plants all transform cattle into Alberta Beef.”
Interprovincial trade is incredibly important to Alberta’s beef production. According to ABP, Alberta consumes roughly 14% of its production, exporting approximately 29% internationally, and 58% inter-provincially.
And that’s important for B.C. beef producers too, who see the majority of their beef-destined animals exported (85-90%, according to the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association) — primarily to Alberta or the U.S. — for finishing and/or processing.
DYK Canada’s beef industry is highly integrated across provinces? With over 70% of #cdnbeef processed in Alberta, our industry is supported by cattle from @BCcattle providing a mutually beneficial relationship for both provinces! #abbeef #albertabeef
— Alberta Beef (@albertabeef) February 7, 2018
So that juicy Alberta Beef steak being boycotted in Vancouver? It might just have originated on a farm in the same province.
How embarrassing.
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