CCA UPDATE Spring Update

Submitted by CCA Staff www.cattle.ca

There has been a flurry of activity at the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) since our last update in February. The first quarter of the year is always a hectic time in the lead up to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) in March.

Our AGM saw the election of a new leadership team, essential discussions on important issues to Canadian cattle producers, and the setting of priorities for the coming year. Nathan Phinney and Tyler Fulton were elected President and Vice President, respectively for 2023-24. Following the AGM, Beef Farmers of Ontario President Jack Chaffe was appointed to the role of “Officer at Large” to round out our leadership team.

Phinney took over the role of CCA President in December 2022, following the sudden passing of Reg Schellenberg. To honour Reg’s legacy as an industry leader, the Schellenberg family attended CCA’s AGM and President’s dinner which held a special tribute to Reg.

Over the course of the AGM, the key priorities discussed included: the recently launched consultation on the proposed changes to the traceability regulations, the impact of Bill C-282: An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management) on future trade deals, achieving reciprocal access for beef in the trade negotiations with the United Kingdom (UK), the addition of new trading partners to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), raising awareness about animal welfare concerns associated with the mandatory use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) for livestock transporters, and the need for further enhancements to business risk management programs.

CCA has been keeping a pulse on what’s happening in Ottawa and how it may impact Canada’s beef producers. There has been a lot of activity on the trade, animal health and care, and environment policy front.

Canadian Beef Exports to Japan

On the heels of our AGM, CCA was pleased to see full restoration of market access into Japan with the Government of Canada announcing the opening of processed beef into our second largest export market for Canadian beef.

This decision marks the removal of the last set of restrictions put into place by Japan after the discovery of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 2003. CCA is grateful for Japan’s decision to adhere to science-based trade with the removal of BSE-era restrictions following Canada’s attainment of BSE-negligible risk status by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) in 2021. Japan’s decision to grant full market access to Canadian beef may signal other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region to follow suit. This is good news for Canadian cattle producers as the Indo-Pacific region holds the greatest potential for beef export diversification.

Federal Budget 2023

On March 28, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, released the 2023 Federal Budget. Most notable for Canadian beef producers was the funding for a Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank and additional funding to develop Canada’s emergency response plan.

CCA has advocated tirelessly over the last number of years for a federally funded FMD vaccine bank. March’s announcement included funding of $57.5 million over five years, going towards the creation of a FMD vaccine bank within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and developing an emergency response plan.

With the ongoing threat of FMD remaining high, the establishment of this vaccine bank will be critical and helps provide our industry with one of the tools needed to regain Canada’s export markets if FMD finds its way here. While we hope the bank and emergency response plan is never needed, we welcome its introduction and look forward to working with the CFIA on its implementation.

CCA was also pleased to see the increased limit to interest-free loans under the Advance Payments Program from $250,000 to $350,000 for the 2023 program year.

Trade Advocacy Priorities

Late March also saw the Government of Canada’s announcement that Canada has reached a market access agreement that will form the basis for the United Kingdom (UK) to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) without achieving viable access for Canadian beef to the UK. This was very disappointing news to CCA.

The CPTPP negotiations with the UK were an opportunity for Canada to rectify the disadvantages in market access and non-tariff barriers Canadian beef producers face in this market. However, Canada has supported the UK’s accession without resolving these issues. While full details of the deal remain unavailable, CCA is aware of other members of the CPTPP achieving unlimited beef access in their bilateral agreements with the UK. We have been informed that similar access for Canada is “off the table”. This is a frustrating development for Canada’s beef producers.

British beef has unlimited, tariff-free access to Canada while Canadian beef only has tariff-free access to the UK under a tariff rate quota. Given this market access imbalance, we need reciprocal access and the full acceptance of Canada’s meat hygiene system which is widely recognized as one of the finest in the world. CCA and our provincial members will continue to share our concerns with Parliamentarians during our spring fly-ins.

Lastly, we continue to monitor the progress of Bill C-282. CCA did have the opportunity to appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT) on Bill C-282. The Bill seeks to prevent the Minister of Trade from discussing supply management products in future trade negotiations.

As a trade-dependent country, Bill C-282 risks Canada’s economic growth. This legislation will not only jeopardize market access opportunities for agriculture, but it will also affect all other Canadian export-oriented sectors. The Bill has moved from committee and is going back to the House of Commons for Third Reading. CCA, alongside the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA), will continue to advocate against Bill C-282.

Environment

CCA is on the advisory committee and working closely with industry stakeholders across the broader agricultural sector to provide input into the consultation and development processes for the new Sustainable Agriculture Strategy (SAS). Our goal is to ensure the direction and actions to improve the environmental performance and enhance resilience to climate change in the agriculture sector take into consideration the realities on the ground of beef producers as well as the efforts currently undertaken by the Canadian beef industry.

CCA, through our involvement with Agriculture Carbon Canada, is continuing to urge the swift passing of Bill C-234: An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act before Parliament adjourns for the summer. This Private Members’ Bill will extend the exemption from carbon pricing for on-farm use of propane and natural gas. This is good news for Canadian farmers as it will provide much-needed relief and the ability to reinvest the capital from carbon pricing for on-farm investments. OB