February and March have been very busy with provincial AGMs in Brandon, Toronto and Calgary. Saskatchewan got ahead of the rush and held its meeting in January. Our team enjoyed meeting producers in their respective provinces and discussing topics that are specific to their regions.
We also had the board and staff attend the Canadian Federation of Agriculture AGM in Ottawa, the international WTO Ministerial meeting (MC13) in Abu Dubai and the Alberta Beef Industry Conference in Calgary in February. At the MC13 international table, Dennis Laycraft and Jennifer Babcock were part of the Canadian Agri-food Trade Alliance delegation and met with ministers and international stakeholders to promote science-based trade.
By the time this article is published in April, the voluntary “Product of USA” labelling announcement will likely already have occurred. Implementation will not begin right away and so it will take some time to see the effects of this policy. We will be watching closely to see if our trade with our neighbours to the south is affected.
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A change to how the cattle check-off rate is set in Western Canada
On August 1, the Saskatchewan Cattle Association raised the provincial portion of its check-off, raising the total check-off from $4.50…
We are awaiting positive news from the federal budget this month and hope that the finance committee will also be pushing our list of recommendations:
- Partner and invest in the grassland conservation initiative.
- Amend the livestock tax deferral provision in the Income Tax Act to better support producers in climate adaptation.
- Maintain the interest-free portion of the advanced payments program at the current level of $350,000.
- Update Canada’s SRM removal requirements to align with U.S. standards.
On March 7, 2024, the federal government announced $1.5 million in funding to Animal Health Canada to help with its collaborative work on national preparedness for foreign animal disease outbreaks such as foot-and-mouth disease. CCA’s Leigh Rosengren, chief veterinary officer, chairs this important group that co-ordinates animal agriculture’s work on common issues and works with the governments of Canada and the provinces.
Hard to say what the weather will do this growing season, but if we stay focused on the things we can control, the ones we can’t don’t seem quite as tall. CCA continues to push for the best interests of our beef producers and is committed to being your strong, solid voice in Ottawa and internationally.
