As cattle markets have transitioned from predominantly cash market sealed-bid or
negotiated price discovery to more formula pricing, marketing agreements, forward
contracts, and packer-owned cattle feeding, concerns about methods of price discovery for
fed cattle have escalated. High levels of concentration in beef packing in Canada were
exacerbated by cattle trade restrictions with the United States that limited market access
and thus caused further unease with the price discovery process for fed cattle in Canada.
