Some Twitter users said they would boycott the 66-restaurant chain, which is based in Vancouver, while others praised the company’s decision.
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On Thursday, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association Ryder Lee said food marketing is nearly “out of control”, and the humane beef brand is an unfair label placed on producers.
He said he is disappointed with the company’s decision and he stands behind Alberta producers, saying that they all work hard to produce the best beef in the world.
“I think we could have provided some good options for Earls to consider in a certification-type program where auditing of certain production practices are done”.
“It’s only government-approved products that are used, and I think the result is the product that we are providing is no less safe or wholesome than any other”, he said.
“I would like to invite Earl’s to come to the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, see what we’re doing, I mean apparently they’ve said that they will change when they feel they can”.
Producers must comply with food safety and environmental regulations. Plants like cabbage and soy contain higher levels of hormones than a serving of beef from a treated animal, according to the Canadian Animal Health Institute.
A decision by Earls Restaurants to ditch Alberta beef in favour of hormone-free US meat has prompted online threats to boycott the Canadian chain.
The company said that wasn’t enough to fulfill supply demands, and so made a decision to use a supplier in the US that is part of the program.
“We are a long-time employer in Alberta, employ thousands of young people there and support the culinary training programs offered at SAIT and NAIT through our red seal program”.
Certified Humane is run by non-profit Humane Farm Animal Care, which is headquartered in Virginia.
“The goal of the standards is to meet the needs of the animals, meet the physical and behavior needs of the animals”, Adele Douglass, Founder and Executive director of the Certified Humane program.
Mo Jessa, president of Earls Restaurants, said the idea was originally a concept thought up for Calgary alone, before it expanded chain-wide. Some buyers want low-cost, mass-produced food, while a growing number are looking for specialized products – whether that be organic, hormone-free, or antibiotic-free. This sort of certification ensures that animals have clean water, outdoor access, more space per animal, reduced stress due to the elimination of cattle prods, and are not injected with non-medical antibiotics or hormones.
The document on beef cattle, which farmers vying for the certification have to follow, is 46 pages long with a laundry list of standards each group must follow to get the humane seal of approval.
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McNabb pointed out that Earls is simply one customer and that the loss of business isn’t “terribly significant” to Alberta beef producers.
