Plans are afoot to bring a federally inspected beef processing plant to Prince George.
The provincial and federal governments are giving the BC Cattlemen’s Association (BCCA) up to $144,000 to identify supply and investment partners and develop business models for the operation and ownership of the potential plant. The BCCA plans to spend up to $16,000 to develop marketing and sales strategy and production requirements.
“I can’t see the point in shipping our beef to Alberta or the United States when we’ve got the capability of doing it here,” says Prince George Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris.
Most BC beef is currently shipped to Alberta or the US to be finished and slaughtered. Keeping BC beef in the province could mean an addition $250 million in sales and a 180 million dollar increase in exported beef. The plant itself could provide nearly 200 local jobs.
Morris says a processing plant in Prince George will be good for local ranchers and farmers, as well as other industries such as transportation.
“We can help increase the price per bushel that the farmers will get up in the Peace Region. We’ve got a rail line going to the Peace River – we can hook into their grain shipments and barley shipments.We’re going to get more dollars per pound for beef if it’s processed locally here so jobs, people moving to Prince George, British Columbians benefiting from it.”
Prince George is well located to process BC beef and ship it to both national and international markets. Morris says that could mean further expansion for the Prince George airport.
“There’s the opportunity to ship the higher end products right away fresh to wherever the markets demand that. There’s definitely a market for that so I think we’ll see it.”
The plan is part of Growing Forward 2, a five year agreement between federal and provincial governments to invest $3 billion by 2018 on innovation, competitiveness and market development in the agriculture and food sectors.
Morris says he’s hopeful that plans for the plant will move quickly.
“We’re putting the pieces together. I’m hopeful we’ll see an announcement made within a year. I know there’s people willing to build the plant already so we just need to make sure that we have all the other pieces put together.”
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