The Benefits of Supply Management

Supply management creates the opportunity for all stakeholders to enjoy a stable and equitable economic environment that benefits every link in the food chain:

Producers

Stable and predictable supply and pricing allows chicken producers to earn a fair return while responding to consumer needs:

• Canadian chicken producers do not rely on government subsidies or taxpayer dollars to make a living.
• Producers continually invest in housing and equipment improvements to preserve and enhance the health and comfort of their chickens.
• Producers invest heavily in research and technology to enhance product quality and respond to consumers’ needs.
• The stable nature of the industry continues to attract a younger generation to chicken farming.

Processors

Processors are assured a stable, predictable supply and price:

• Processers know the quantity of chicken they will receive each day, as well as the price they will pay for the chicken.
• The chicken they receive has been grown under auditable On-Farm Food Safety Assurance and Animal Care programs.
• This predictability allows processers to plan and invest in their plants and equipment to continue producing the quality chicken products Canadians expect.

Consumers

Consumers are provided a steady supply of local, high quality, Albertan chicken products at affordable prices year-round:

• Animal care and quality standards in Alberta are among the strictest in the world, ensuring that the chicken that you and your family eat is safe and raised to the highest standards of animal care.

• As retail prices around the world are increasing, farm and retail prices in Canada have remained relatively stable. The fall in farm prices were not completely reflected in retail prices before production prices increased and caused retail prices to increase again!

Governments

Supply management delivers economic benefit to the provincial and national economies and is viewed as a sound risk management system by our governments:

• Canadian society as a whole benefits from supply management as a result of the thousands of jobs created by local family farming.
• The chicken industry in Alberta contributes $373.6 million to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product and creates over 4,100 direct and indirect jobs.
• The chicken industry in Canada contributes $2.36 billion to the GDP and creates over 31,200 direct and indirect jobs.