Industry

The beef cattle industry in BC consists primarily of cow-calf operations. Approximately 4,086 cattle ranches operate in the province, making up 5% of Canada's national cow herd.

Smaller ranches dominate the southwest portion of the province, whereas the larger ranches are located typically in the northern and interior regions.

BC ranchers take pride in filling the first role in the beef production chain, and the industry is an important part of the history (PDF), environment, economy and future of this province.

According to Statistics Canada, as of July 1, 2023, the BC cattle industry had over 600,000 head, including:

• 197,100 calves
• 185,600 beef cows
• 80,100 dairy cows
• 39,300 beef heifers for breeding
• 36,800 dairy heifers
• 29,700 steers
• 22,900 beef heifers for slaughter
• 12,900 bulls

Health

BC producers use safe and healthy methods in all aspects of production, including animal health, transportation, food safety and traceability. Calves are typically born and raised on rangeland, where they will graze and/or be fed locally grown forages.

Land

Cow-calf operations require access to land, forage and water.

• Ranches occupy over 5 million acres of private land in the province and have tenure on a further 21.5 million acres of Crown rangeland.
• Approximately 66% of the Agriculture Land Reserve is owned by ranches.
• The average size of a cattle farm in BC is 1,074 acres.

BC beef producers work to protect and sustain the land through a variety of programs and management practices.

Economy

The BC beef industry is important to the province's economy and supports many family and community businesses.

• It includes small hobby farms, diversified operations, large cattle ranches and approximately 40 feedlots.
• It contributes approximately $600 million annually to the economy, or 0.25% of the province’s GDP.
• It employs approximately 8,700 people.

Trade

The majority of calves raised in the province are marketed in the fall via live auctions to feedlots in Alberta and the U.S. where they will be fed a grain diet and brought up to slaughter weight.

A small portion of calves remain in BC for backgrounding or finishing. As of January 2023, there were approximately 35 provincially licensed abattoirs that processed beef cattle.

Most of the beef processed in Alberta is consumed in Canada.

South Korea, Taiwan, the U.S. and Japan are main export markets for frozen beef from BC. The U.S. remains the most important export market for live cattle from the province, taking 99% of this market. Reversely, the U.S. is also the main source of import cattle into BC.