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The Ontario Veal Association (OVA) is
dedicated to
promoting and enhancing a viable and competitive
Ontario veal industry through innovation, marketing,
advocacy and education.
Last year marked another busy twelve months for the
Ontario Veal Association (OVA) Board of Directors and
staff. OVA appreciates the opportunity to collaborate
with OCA on a number of important issues on behalf
of the Ontario cattle industry. This report provides a
snapshot of some of our 2007 highlights.
CONSUMER MARKETING
In order to stimulate demand and increase awareness
OVA developed a new consumer brand identity with
Ontario Veal Appeal. As well, a new consumer-friendly
veal Web site, www.ontariovealappeal.ca , has been
launched, telling people how to cook with veal, a store
locator on where to buy it and of course it has plenty of
recipes for consumers to download.
OVA developed and implemented an innovative Retail
Point of Sale program that was distributed to over 250
veal butchers and retailers across Ontario. This program
was delivered in six waves and included a veal
cutting tip sheet for the butcher as well as recipe cards
and veal cooking guides. Included in the kits were
other Ontario Veal Appeal merchandising tools such as
danglers, case clings and on-pack stickers.
Perhaps the biggest project undertaken by OVA has
been the Homegrown Ontario™ initiative. OVA is a
founding member of this exciting program that will see
over $4.2 million in marketing and promotions during
the three-year project.
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OVA continues to move towards its goal of obtaining
marketing board regulations under the Farm Products
Marketing Act. This past year has been about building
consensus with the industry through several meetings,
consultations and discussions with veal producers of all
sizes. While there was general agreement for the direction
of a marketing board, there were still a number of
outstanding issues relating to the proposed electronic
auction, grading and payment settlement systems. OVA
has engaged Mr. Rob Wilson of Wilson and Spurr law
firm to assist with the drafting of marketing board
regulations and to help navigate the process with the
Farm Products Marketing Commission.
PRODUCER PROGRAMS
OVA hosted two producer workshops in 2007 with the
goal of providing educational opportunities to Ontario’s
veal producer. In March, “Off to a Healthy Start” was
held in Rostock and in November “The Road to
Finished Grain-Fed Veal” was held in Tavistock. The
Ontario Veal Quality Assurance Program (OVQAP) was
completely revised, updated and re-launched this past
summer. A new section on animal welfare was added
as well as making the program more streamlined and
user-friendly. The goal of the OVQAP is to bring a
level of consistency to Ontario veal in order to capture
a greater share of the marketplace.
INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
OVA launched its “Got Colostrum?” campaign through
a targeted mailing to Ontario’s 5,000 dairy farmers.
Included in the mailing was colostrum booklet, a barn
chart, a reference guide on handling calves as well as a
reminder magnet. To support the campaign and anyone
interested in raising dairy calves a new Web site has
also been created:
www.calfcare.ca.
The OVA undertook a number of research and special
projects with the goal of improving overall veal quality.
These projects included:
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Veal Carcass Quality Research; Dr. Ira Mandell
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Veal Grading Pilot Project
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Acidified Milk Ad Libitum Feeding Trial; Dr. Ken Leslie
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Corn Mycotoxin Poject with Phil McEwen
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Feasibility of Veal Value-Added Processing Options
with Mallot Creek Strategies
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Investigating Protein Rations Grain Fed Feed Trial
with ShurGain Agresearch Farm
For more detailed information on OVA’s accomplishments
and activities or to receive a copy of our 2007
Annual Report, please contact me at
(519) 824-2942 or jhaley@ontarioveal.on.ca. |
