Gobble, gobble
Turkey farmers heed the call for healthier, more natural birds.
For many, Christmas dinner without turkey is like Santa without a gift bag; something’s missing. Chances are good that the bird sitting on your plate this year is missing something too, such as antibiotics, GMOs and hormones. With consumers demanding greater transparency and healthier, more “humane” food options, retailers and entrepreneurial farmers are heeding the call.
In Canada last year, 8.5 million whole turkeys were sold, or 51.7 million kilograms, of which 7.8 million kilograms were fresh turkeys, according to Turkey Farmers of Canada. The group does not track how many were organic.
“As consumers’ preferences change, that market signal transmits itself back into the farm,” said Phil Boyd, executive director of Turkey Farmers of Canada, adding the sector has been paying close attention to the rise in consumer awareness especially around antibiotics. It’s what encouraged the entire poultry sector in 2014 to stop using medication or antibiotics vital to human health on a preventive basis in 2014. “It’s a continuum and we’re moving along that with our colleagues in the poultry sector,” he said.
Cynthia Beretta of Beretta Farms, a producer of certified organic meats, and meats raised without antibiotics or hormones, is a bit further along the continuum. When she and her husband Mike started their family farm 24 years ago, eschewing conventional practices was a no-brainer. It came down to a passion for animals and healthy living, she said.
A certified organic piece of meat is the “cleanest possible form of protein that’s out there; how nature intended it to be.” But it’s not just a healthier, more ethical choice, it’s a tastier one too, said Beretta, who attributes that to the turkey’s mixed grain diet and ability to freely roam and graze.
A t urkey c an only be labelled organic if it’s grown and inspected according to strict standards by a certification body under the jurisdiction of the Canada Food and Inspection Agency. Although not necessarily organic, terms such as “humanely raised,” “all natural,” “antibioticfree” or “free- range” refer to a growing movement toward sustainable offerings. (All turkeys in Canada are by necessity free-run).
Customers aren’t just demanding a healthier product; they’re willing to pay for it too. Consider the success of Whole Foods Market where “organic” and “natural” is their breadand- butter and where every product goes through rigorous examination.
“Customers are l ooking to learn more about how the products they’re purchasing are raised and the effect on their community,” said David Spear, regional meat executive director.
“For turkeys that means working with local suppliers, having organic options and having products that are raised without use of antibiotics and are vegetarian-fed,” he said.
Every t urkey on t heir shelves come from farms that have achieved certification from the Global Animal Partnership’s 5- Step Animal Wel- fare Rating program, enabling customers to learn exactly how animals are raised.
Tim deWit and his wife Katrina operate an organic turkey, sheep and cash crop farm called Fowl Play Farm near Stratford, Ont. The deWits began operating conventionally in 2001, but decided to transform their farm to strictly organic in 2011 when they saw a business opportunity.
“With supply management ( in conventional farming) you’re guaranteed a margin but they’re tight and there is lots of investment to buy quota,” deWit said about their conversion to organic. His turkeys are sold to Whole Foods in partnership with Yorkshire Valley Farms. “It’s one of the best decisions we made,” he said.
Yet, a 2014 survey by the Turkey Farmers of Canada, suggested that of about 525 turkey farmers in the country — a number that hasn’t changed much in years — only 15 or so are certified organic, while 20 or more farmers produce some form of free- range production ( f armers who produce less than 50 turkeys aren’t counted).
The low numbers may be a result of the significant effort and investment needed to meet the rigorous standards of a sustainable farm. For one thing, deWit has to be certified through Whole Foods’ rating program, as well as an independent organic certifier. Organic turkey feed costs about $ 1,100 a tonne, while the average feed price for standard turkey is about $ 400. And, with organic and antibiotic- free turkeys taking five to eight weeks longer to get to harvest, that translates into a more expensive bird.
“Those are big numbers for producers,” said Beretta, even if the birds are often 30 to 50 per cent more expensive. There’s also a greater risk. If an organic bird gets sick and needs to be treated with antibiotics, it’s pulled from the organic stream and marketed conventionally, along with the premium price.
At Whole Foods, a Yorkshire Farm Whole Fresh turkey costs 99 cents per 100 grams; organic costs $1.49/100g. For a dinner for, say 12 people, you will pay about $135 for a nine kilogram (20 lbs.) Yorkshire Farm organic turkey; $ 90 for the Whole Fresh turkey. By comparison, a conventional fresh turkey of the same size ranges from $20 to $30 depending on the province, data from Turkey Farmers of Canada shows.
Typically higher returns can make up for larger risks and investment, said deWit, who is grateful for Yorkshire Farm’s commitment to independent producers. “Sometimes it’s easier when you’re a smaller farmer,” he said. DeWit’s farm produces about 130,000 kilos of live turkeys ( 20,000 turkeys) each year. “There is a market here, we’re not filling it by any means.”
That may come soon. “Organics in general has become more mainstream and competition has doubled in the past 20 years,” said Beretta, who contends it comes down to education.
“It’s what you’re not buying. Studies show that the overuse of antibiotics in animals will affect us in the longterm,” Beretta claims, adding that hormones can affect us in ways we don’t yet understand.
“When you don’t know what your food is all about, you can eat and not think twice but once you become enlightened to what goes into making food, it’s very tough to go back.”