Other livestock

Quick Facts 2024

• Bison
  • 149,539 bison on 989 farms in Canada
  • Bison production in Canada is concentrated in the west, with 82% of the herd in Saskatchewan and Alberta
  • 11,126 bison slaughtered by federally and provincially licensed establishments
  • Exports: 34,294 live bison valued at $96 million and 515 tonnes of bison meat valued at $10.96 million. Bison meat exports are primarily to the US, but boneless product is also shipped to numerous countries in Europe, most notably Switzerland, Netherland and Italy
  • Imports: 601 tonnes of bison meat valued at $9.0 million
• Goats
  • 253,278 goats on 4,801 Canadian farms.(source: 2021 census of agriculture). In Canada, the goat industry can be segmented into three distinct sectors: chevon (meat), dairy (milk) and fiber (mohair and cashmere)
  • 99,589 goats slaughtered in Canada. Over 99% of these goats were processed at provincially inspected establishments
  • Exports - No exports for 2024 of goats live or products
  • Imports: 2,533 tonnes of goat meat valued at $18.67 million
• Cervids
  • 29,655 farm raised cervids (deer and elk) on 402 farms
  • Elk are primarily farmed in Western Canada and red deer in Eastern Canada. Fallow deer, white-tailed deer and other cervid species are farmed throughout Canada
  • 843 deer and 1,666 elk slaughtered in federally and provincially inspected establishments in Canada
  • Exports: 71,517 kg of elk meat.
  • Imports: 407 tonnes of venison
• Mink
  • 1,003,600 mink pelts valued at $30 million, produced on 63 Canadian farms (2020) Mink briefer