A boatload of 2,217 Canadian purebred Angus, Holstein and Hereford cattle left for Russia Tuesday as part of Canada’s biggest export of breeding stock since the discovery of BSE in Alberta in 2003.
The cattle were shipped from Quebec’s Port de Becancour en route to Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, where they will be fanned out to five buyers in three regions of the country.
Alta Exports International sourced the shipment from over 400 farms in six provinces, including 1,000 bred Angus heifers, 50 Angus bulls, 800 Holstein heifers, 17 Holstein bulls, 340 bred Hereford heifers and 10 Hereford bulls, worth a total of almost $4 million for the producers involved.
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Alta Exports has since 2004 gone on several trade missions with federal and provincial officials to help clear the path for exports of cattle, semen and embryos to Russia, the company said in a Canadian Beef Breeds Council release.
AEI noted it has successfully moved 5,700 head of breeding stock to Russia and Kazakhstan so far this year.
Apart from Canada’s similar climate, an indicator of the animals’ suitability for the Russian market, AEI’s Gary Smith said Russian customers recognize Canada has “a unique and successful cattle identification program — an essential tool that the U.S. has not yet addressed.”
Export Development Canada provided financial services support for the shipment.
