Canadian Commercial Beef

In this section:

Commercial Beef Products
Commercial Beef Grading

Commercial Beef Products

A wide variety of commercial beef cuts are available from Canadian processors. Boneless trim of a specified lean percentage and composition is also available. While the commercial beef supply is impacted by a number of factors, as a general rule the number of cows processed is highest in the late fall and early winter. From an overall perspective, beef cows are the largest component of Canadian cow slaughter.

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Commercial Beef Grading

The majority of Canadian beef from mature cattle is sold as ungraded product. Cows that are graded are placed into one of the four Canada D grades. The standards for Canada D1, D2, D3, and D4 are shown below, and consider muscling and maturity, as well as the amount and quality of the fat. D1cattle are generally considered the most desirable and approximate the USDA Commercial grade for cows. Animals assigned to the USDA Canner & Cutter classification would be most similar to those placed into the Canada D3 grade. Bulls are placed into the Canada E grade.

Grade Distribution for Mature Cattle in Canada

Mature Cattle Quality Grades

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