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As for the animal welfare component, Lowe said it’s just good business sense for ranchers to treat their cattle ethically and humanely.

“If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have any animals left and would be out of the business,” he said.

Lowe said it will be a long time before he “darkens the door” of an Earls restaurant again, and thanked the public for rallying behind the beef industry in the aftermath of the chain’s decision.

Rob McNabb — general manager of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association — said he doesn’t believe the U.S. cattle industry is ahead of the Canadian industry when it comes to trying to meet consumer demand for ethically sourced food. But he acknowledged that Canada doesn’t yet have a good certification system to communicate its efforts to customers.

“I guess given the size of our industry versus the size of the industry in the U.S., it’s just a matter of them perhaps getting a little ahead of us on that type of documentation,” McNabb said.

In 2014, a committee of beef industry and environmental leaders formed the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, dedicated to ensuring beef production in this country is environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable. The committee will try to define what sustainable means, then try to demonstrate to retailers and consumers that choosing Canadian beef is an ethical, environmentally responsible thing to do.

McNabb said the work of the Roundtable will be critical if the Canadian beef industry wants to keep up with customer demand for ethically sourced product.