Ryding Regency Meat Packers Ltd. of Toronto is gaining
global beef markets, including for its halal-standard products.
Michael Bilcher told the annual meeting of Ontario Agri-Food
Technologies that it’s building on the success of the Ontario Corn-fed Beef
program developed by farmers.
The rations fed to finish those cattle must have at least 80
per cent corn. Bilcher said corn has higher sugar content than barley, which is
used to finish Alberta cattle, so the meat tastes different and is preferred by
many consumers.
He said the company is also making inroads in Quebec now because there are no longer any federally-inspected beef-slaughtering plants
left.
Ryding Regency is Ontario’s third-largest beef packer, after
Cargill’s dominant Better Beef plant in Guelph and St. Helen’s in Toronto.
Ryding Regency has clients now in China, the United Arab
Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Singapore. It is seeking packing-plant
certification from the European Union.
Next on its agenda is developing markets for dried meat
products.
