P.E.I. launches certified beef brand

Beef producers on P.E.I. are hoping for a boost in sales from a new brand, Prince Edward Island Certified Beef.

The new brand is a joint initiative of the P.E.I. Culinary Alliance, the P.E.I. Cattle Producers, the Atlantic Beef Products plant, and the provincial government.

"We are very excited to promote this new premium certified beef brand and continue to build our reputation as a producer of high-quality product," said Chef Austin Clement, chair of the PEI Culinary Alliance, in a news release.

"This brand of certified premium Prince Edward Island beef is as natural a product as you will find."

Producers of Prince Edward Island Certified Beef will receive a premium price, reflecting the extra care and attention that goes into raising each animal. Farmers will be required to meet certain standards and can then be certified by the Department of Agriculture.

The Culinary Alliance is working with Pearse Dolan of Dolan Foods to distribute the brand to high-end restaurants and specialty meat shops in central and western Canada.

The first destination is Toronto.

Beef farmers on the Island have been struggling through a years-long downturn in the industry. The Atlantic Beef Products plant in Albany, P.E.I. has had its own troubles, struggling to make a profit since it opened in 2003.