Alberta stands as the home of beef production in Canada, being home to nearly half of the national beef herd. This is farmed by nearly 70,000 individual farms which account for almost a third of Canadian farm area.

Beef is Alberta’s top agri-food export, accounting for over CAD$2.9bn (€2bn). While the sector may be struggling in Ireland, speaking to a number of Canadian traders at a local mart, they explained that the sector is quite strong at the moment.

We’ve lost a generation of producers. Those that have stayed in are doing well

One producer said: “I would say the sector is decently positive at the moment. Our land prices and equipment costs have certainly gotten higher, and because of it we’ve lost a generation of producers. Those that have stayed in, however, are doing well. For the most part I would say we are in a decent position. Alberta as a province is pretty good.”

The same producer, who didn’t want to be named, explained that animals are generally killed at 1,600lb (725kg) with a 65% killout. Currently on the rail, these are paid CAD$2.60 (€1.78) a pound. Converting this to Irish figures, it amounts to an average carcase kill price of €1,851 or €3.95/kg. There is an added premium then paid for marbling.