The Canadian and Manitoba governments are providing $350,000 over five years to Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) to deliver the Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program.

“Our government is proud to support the Manitoba Beef Producers in their efforts to meet the highest industry standards and adopt responsible and sustainable practices,” said Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay. “This investment will help the beef sector continue to meet consumer demands for high-quality food while maintaining trust and confidence in Canada’s world-class production standards.”

The VBP program is a national program that helps producers meet industry standards for food safety. In 2016, VBP expanded to include modules for animal care, biosecurity and environmental stewardship and is now called VBP+.

“More and more companies are making commitments to purchasing beef from sustainable sources,” said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler. “The VBP+ program will ensure that processors and consumers who demand a high-quality product can be confident in the product they are purchasing.”

The VBP+ program includes a full suite of resources and training designed to establish a common platform to help producers meet marketplace and societal expectations. The Manitoba Beef Producers will deliver VBP+ workshops to train beef producers about the program, coordinate the required on farm audits and transition producers from VBP to VBP+.

“Verified Beef Production Plus is a transparent and comprehensive way to show consumers that our producers care about how we treat the environment, how we treat our livestock and that we take care to produce the highest-quality of beef,” said Tom Teichroeb, president, Manitoba Beef Producers. “Public trust is important to beef producers and we are happy to have both the federal and provincial government as partners as we encourage more of our producers to have their good practices recognized by this program.”

The funding is being provided through Ag Action Manitoba under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.