Animal health and care, food safety and environmental stewardship are increasingly important to the general public and the Canadian beef industry is keeping step. Beef retailers and consumers want to understand, at a base level, about our production practices at the farm, ranch and feedlot level. The VBP+ program expansion began in 2013 to build a program identifying outcomes for responsible production practices that are practical, credible and meet marketplace expectations.
The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) oversees the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework. The standards set out by the framework are aligned with the requirements of the VBP+ program, and are verified on-farm by third-party assessors.
When you get certified with VBP+, you automatically become certified with CRSB. As one of three certification bodies for CRSB, VBP+ can provide CRSB certification in the same on-farm assessment when a producer seeks certification with VBP+. This means less time and effort for producers.
With CRSB certification, producers gain access to incentive programs such as Cargill’s implementation of the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework and the Sustainability Incentive Program.
VBP+ is actively working to minimize the amount of repetition between assessments for different certifications. Currently, VBP+ is working on training assessors so that operations could become GEP-free certified for the EU and VBP+ certified in a single on-farm assessment. We will continue to work on programs like this to minimize the work producers have to do to access these programs and their benefits.
| ASSESSMENT LEVEL | OPERATION TYPE | PER YEAR* | TOTAL OVER 5 YEARS |
| LEVEL 1 | – Cow/Calf – Grasser/Stocker – Short-Term Backgrounding (4 months or less) | $250 | $1250 |
| LEVEL 2 | – Backgrounding Feedyards (more than 4 months) – Finishing Feedyards | $350 | $1750 |
| LEVEL 3 | – Combined Cow/Calf, Long-Term Backgrounding Feedyards (more than 4 months) – Cow/Calf Through To Finishing | $350 | $1750 |
The cost associated with an assessment varies by the type of operation. Producers can choose to pay annually (committing to all 5 years), or pay for the full five-year cycle up front.
Any record-keeping system that works for your operation is acceptable, as long the required information is recorded. This includes paper or digital records.
Common records used to demonstrate a valid VCPR are protocol manuals, invoices, patient notes, text messages or post-mortem results.
While the records collected for breed association purposes or to generate EPD’s etc., are important records and can be utilized to analyze herd productivity, they are not as relevant for VBP+ (for example on-farm food safety risk management). The Pre-Certification Resource Guide includes details on records that are required for VBP+ Certification.
The VBP+ Sample Record Guide provides sample records for each section of the standard and lists of records that can be utilized during an assessment. Records are organized by Cow/Calf and the Feedlot labels. The VBP+ Sample Records and Templates page contains templates that you may add to your ranch records or suggestions of data fields to add to your existing records.
No! VBP+ runs on a 5-year assessment cycle. In year 1, producers do the full on-farm assessment to get certified.
In years 2 and 4, producers submit the suite of records required under the program to VBP+ Delivery Services Inc. This makes sure that all the processes verified on farm are still running smoothly!
In years 3 and 5, producers submit a self-declaration to VBP+ Delivery Services Inc. to verify that they are still doing all the practices verified during the on-farm assessment.
After 5 years, the cycle starts over again!
There are three levels of assessment. While we have tried to cover most aspects of production in the levels, we know that each operation is unique. When you decide to pursue certification, a conversation with the VBP+ Assessment Coordinator can help to determine what Level of Assessment is needed.
Learn more on page 3 of the Pre-Certification Resource Guide
Most of our assessors are beef producers themselves, so they understand what managing cattle is like and how things operate! In many cases, producers say that their assessor has been a great resource for them to ask questions and improve their operations.
Most of our staff are beef producers as well! When you have questions or submit renewals, rest assured that our staff understands the unique situations that arise on a farm. Many of us have experience getting certified on our own operations, and are here to help, not criticize!
Think of the on-farm assessment as a tour through your operation! Assessors are trained to ask the right questions and look and listen to find the pieces on your operation that meet each requirement. They will help guide you through what they need to see, and your provincial coordinator will help prepare you so that you can organize all the records, equipment, and other items that the assessor will need to see.
All VBP+ assessors follow strict biosecurity protocols so, to protect animal health, you will be asked if there are any specific actions needed prior to them visiting the beef cattle operation.
VBP+ assessors are selected for their experience with beef cattle operations and their knowledge of practices and processes. VBP+ assessors will be knowledgeable about the information they are viewing and hearing to make an accurate assessment.
VBP+ aims to ensure that operations are not assessed by the same assessor for repeat assessments. For example, the same assessor who completes an on-farm assessment will not complete a records assessment the next year for the same operation.
Note: In some remote areas where there are few options for assessors, the same assessor may complete two on-farm assessments on the same operation.
If you have a question that is not represented on this page, please contact your Provincial Coordinator and they will be happy to assist you!
