Canadian beef pitches mutual case against tariffs to U.S. counterparts

Canadian beef pitches mutual case against tariffs to U.S. counterparts

Canadian beef may be finding a sympathetic ear with U.S. trading partners who also have no interest in a trade war, but will that be enough to sway the Trump administration away from their threatened tariffs?

Reading Time: 7 minutes Canadian beef producers face uncertainty as potential US tariffs loom. Despite efforts at a US conference, the industry remains unclear on the future impact. Learn how producers are navigating this challenging trade situation.

“There can be no doubt that
when you have a higher cost at
the processing level, over time
that gets reflected back on what
producers get paid.”

Beef sector speaks out on costly processing rules

Producers, smaller processors bear the brunt of costs from BSE-era regulations

Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta beef producers still feel the fallout from BSE through regulations intended for processors, though it is 20 years since the crisis began. Canadian beef processors pay millions more than their U.S. counterparts to process and dispose of specified risk material (SRM), first targeted during the BSE era, in cattle older than 30 months (OTM). […] Read more


The 20th anniversary of BSE: So much has changed

Border closures captured the headlines but BSE reshaped the cattle sector in profound ways

Reading Time: 4 minutes The dates are seared in Dennis Laycraft’s brain. May 20, 2003, when the first positive test of a cow with BSE was confirmed; Aug. 10, 2003, when the U.S. and Mexico restored import access for Canadian boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age; July 14, 2005, when the U.S. reopened full access for […] Read more

Reg Schellenberg. (Schellenberg family photo via Canadian Cattlemen)

Canadian Cattle Association president Reg Schellenberg dies

Saskatchewan rancher had led CCA since March

Updated, Dec. 7 — Western Saskatchewan rancher Reg Schellenberg, who had led the national organization representing Canada’s beef cattle producers since March this year, died suddenly Friday at age 63. The Canadian Cattle Association reported Schellenberg’s death in a release Saturday, adding that the association’s current vice-president, rancher Nathan Phinney of Sackville, N.B., will now […] Read more


(GFM Staff photo)

National cattle producer group rebrands

Former Canadian Cattlemen's Association renamed

Canada’s national beef cattle producer body is rebranding under a slightly shorter new name that serves in part to clear away any potential whiff of a guys-only club. The organization formerly known as the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association on Thursday launched what it describes as a “a new brand identity, highlighting the strong and diverse group […] Read more

A man reacts as protestors continue blocking access to the Ambassador Bridge at Windsor, Ont. on the evening of Feb. 11, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Carlos Osorio)

Farm and agrifood groups press for clear border crossings

Injunction granted to clear Ambassador Bridge blockade

Groups representing Canada’s farm and agrifood sectors want to see an “immediate” end to multiple border blockades thrown up in recent weeks by protestors in three provinces — while the auto sector has secured a court order that one blockade be taken down. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, […] Read more


A Western blot analysis, used to detect specific proteins in tissue samples, is used to confirm BSE in cattle. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

OIE ruling turns page on BSE in Canada

Canada's BSE status upgraded to 'negligible risk'

The international body overseeing countries’ animal disease control measures has assigned Canada the lowest level of risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) — a move which stands to help clear away lingering trade barriers against Canadian beef. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on Thursday announced it has delivered “negligible risk” status for BSE […] Read more

File photo of cattle grazing on Prince Edward Island. (ArodPEI/iStock/Getty Images)

Eastern drought zones set for livestock tax deferrals

Regions designated in P.E.I., N.S., N.B., Quebec

In a decision that may have come late for some, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and parts of southeastern Quebec and northwestern Nova Scotia have been declared drought zones for eligible livestock producers’ 2020 tax purposes. The federal government on Monday released its list and map of prescribed drought regions where tax deferral on sales […] Read more