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Congratulations for coming on board the Quality Starts Here Verified Beef Production Program. This national food safety program is straightforward and practical, and was designed by producers like yourself.
From the cow-calf operator to the family cook, food safety is everyone’s responsibility. And if a problem arises - real or perceived - about a beef product, it’s our entire industry that takes a hit. Our livelihood depends on consumer confidence, and each one of us in the food production chain has a role to play.
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Goals of QSH Verified Beef Production |
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to promote the continued use of Good Production Practices.
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to reduce identified risks to beef safety.
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to provide ongoing assurance to consumers and other markets that Canadian beef is produced to the highest safety standards.
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By following this program ’s simple guidelines for procedures and record-keeping, you’ll be ensuring the product that leaves your farm-gate is as safe as possible. And you’ll have the verified records to show it.
Your operation will benefit in other ways, too.
Improved production efficiency
The practices in the QSH Verified Beef Production Program are part of everyday good management. As you’ll see, they’re all in a day’s work of producing safe, high quality meat as efficiently as possible.
Reduced wastage
The price paid by the producer who doesn’t offer safe, quality beef is high. Meat that doesn’t make the grade for human consumption can lead to warnings, rejection of carcasses shipped, penalties, and loss of market access.
Meats are routinely tested for safety issues, such as drug residues. By that point, however, defects have cost the industry and producers money.
It’s more cost-effective and less risky for everyone if proven control measures are used at critical points during production.
Increased market opportunities
Other segments in the industry, nationally and internationally, have developed their own procedures for safety and quality assurance. Increasingly they’ll be looking for suppliers like yourself who can demonstrate the same vigilance. Many of our competitors in the protein market, as well as our trading competitors , have implemented their own assurance programs.
Reduced risk of government regulation versus producer-driven initiatives
QSH Verified Beef Production is producer-led and driven . A team of feedlot, cow-calf, and dairy operators, plus a host of beef production specialists (including veterinarians, nutritionists, marketing agents and pharmaceutical companies) took the initiative to develop this proactive program.
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