‘Cute bunny syndrome,’ government bureaucracy hampering growth of rabbit meat industry, producers say
FotoliaRabbits are cheap to raise and easy to maintain. They can be ready for slaughter in weeks, rather than the years it takes to rear cattle. Further, they provide a lean source of mild white meat.
Rabbit: It’s another white meat. And, according to Alberta producers, Canadians would be eating a lot more of it if the slow-moving government would grant a licence to slaughter the fecund little critters more quickly.
Randy Vanderveen for National PostMarion Popkins, president of the Alberta Rabbit Producers Association, is trying to educate potential producers about the benefits of raising rabbits for market.
“We’re importing rabbit from Italy. We’re importing it from China, if you can believe it,” said Marion Popkin, the president of the Alberta Rabbit Producers Association. The amount of rabbit Canadians consume per capita has been increasing since 2006, according to data from Agriculture Canada. Ms. Popkin credits the growth to more immigration from rabbit-loving locales. Although the dish is proving more popular, rabbit production has declined in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Alberta and Ontario, on the other hand, are registering strong growth. And Ms. Popkin believes there would be much more if it weren’t so difficult to find government-inspected plants with enough capacity to butcher the meat.
The producers argue it’s hard to build a consumer base — and market heavily to boost consumption — when you can only get rabbit at local farmer’s markets and ethnic groceries.
In the meantime, Albertans are importing rabbit meat to a province so well-suited to rabbit production that even major cities like Calgary are overrun with the critters.
We’re importing it from China, if you can believe it
“We can produce these animals locally at home — where there are better quality forages — at less cost than anywhere else in the world,” she said.
Courtesy Blair HerzogBlair Herzog is a rabbit farmer near Carstairs Alberta who says he can't sell enough of the creatures.
Blair Herzog, who runs a rabbitry near Carstairs, said he’s also eager to get the province’s rabbit industry up and running.
“I’ve got four individuals I’m in contact with who will take anything that I can put out,” he said, figuring he could sell as many as 300 rabbits a month. One customer cans rabbit meat, he said; another seasons and smokes it.
Rabbits are popular for human consumption, but are also sold for pet food and fur.
“The number one thing that is really hurting us is the whole inspection process and inspection costs and the un-inspected meat hubbub.”
The farmer said he can’t afford to drive three hours to the nearest facility; there he’d be lucky to pay up to $5 per head to have a rabbit killed.
Ms. Popkin said the lack of abattoir capacity is endemic: some plants will butcher rabbits, but only after finishing with more lucrative animals. The situation has created a bottleneck that’s hampering the industry’s growth. Her group has struggled to obtain a licence to open a facility — one that can handle padded, hairy animals — but the process has taken years.
FotoliaA brown dwarf rabbit drinks water in a cage.
“We were promised a licence last year,” she said. “It’s been a painful process, but as soon as we get that licence through we can actually bring animals back here.”
Lorraine Lynch, a spokesperson for the Alberta ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the government wouldn’t comment on specific applications. However, obtaining a licence to open an abattoir is a thorough process that can take years, she said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Popkin maintains faith in the rabbit-industry. Rabbits are cheap to raise and easy to maintain. They can be ready for slaughter in weeks, rather than the years it takes to rear cattle. Further, they provide a lean source of mild, white meat. Best of all, she said, farmers can’t medicate rabbits. Sick animals die too quickly to be treated, meaning they’re free of growth hormones and antibiotics.
Ms. Popkin said there’s a growing demand for eco-friendly meats, like rabbit.
Randy Vanderveen for National PostDave Reichert, a rabbit farmer in the Grande Prairie area, handles some of the animals he is raising. Reichert raises the California breed which matures from birth to market-ready in 12 weeks.
“We’ve got to get over the cute bunny syndrome to be able to take them seriously,” she said. “We’re patiently heading there while we get through the last of the red tape.”
In the meantime, producers like Danielle Smith (who is not related to the Alberta politician) are gearing up in preparation.
“People are still a bit leery about eating the Easter bunny,” she said. Still, Ms. Smith said she has high hopes for her first flock of 40 rabbits. She expects to begin butchering in a few weeks. “The beef industry has a great marketing campaign and the chicken industry has a great marketing campaign, so does pork. We can find a way in there.”
Rabbit meat tastes, Ms. Popkin added, much like chicken.
National Post
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