CCA IS THE NATIONAL VOICE OF CANADA S 68,500 BEEF FARMS

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1 CCA IS THE NATIONAL VOICE OF CANADA S 68,500 BEEF FARMS In This Issue... CCA Welcomes New Federal Cabinet Ministers Trans-Pacific Partnership Text Now Public CCA Update on Domestic Agriculture Policy and Regulations Beef Industry Agvocate Update Reviewing Animal Welfare Practices With New Employees Introducing CCA s New Communications Coordinator BCRC CCA Welcomes New Federal Cabinet Ministers This past Wednesday, November 4, marked the beginning of Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau s term as Prime Minister of Canada and with it, the appointment of a new Cabinet. As with the Conservative Government before them, the Canadian Cattlemen s Association (CCA) looks forward to working closely with the Liberal Government to develop and implement policies and actions favourable to Canadian beef producers. The CCA is particularly eager to embark on a collaborative working relationship with Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland to ensure the momentum of opening international markets for Canadian beef exports continues. The CCA will also work closely with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, Health Minister Jane Philpott, Employment Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk and Immigration Minister John McCallum on behalf of Canadian beef producers. Priority areas for the CCA include repeal of the discriminatory U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) legislation, improving access to the Japanese and other international markets through the Trans- Pacific Partnership (TPP), bolstering agriculture research and increasing the agricultural workforce, said CCA President Dave Solverson. The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) information communicated to CCA indicates that their objectives align with ours in many of these priority areas, including trade, research and workforce issues, he said. That s a great starting point for industry. The CCA looks forward to working with the new Ministers to advocate on the issues and policies that are important to the Canadian beef sector. To read the CCA s news release on the new Liberal Cabinet, go to:

2 Trans-Pacific Partnership Text Now Public The full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is now available online, posted by the New Zealand Government as the agreed depository of the text. All signatories to the TPP, including Canada, must go through their domestic processes and ratify the agreement. Canada s new International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland has yet to formalize a position on the Agreement but issued a statement ( last week indicating she looks forward to reviewing the TPP text in its entirety. With the text now public, the CCA can officially confirm that the TPP is an excellent and essential deal for Canadian beef producers and exporters. The Agreement is consistent with the briefings received from government officials as negotiations concluded. The Agreement achieves CCA s primary objective in ensuring Canadian beef access to Japan is significantly liberalized in a manner that restores our competitive position in that market. This is essential as Australia implemented last year a free trade agreement with Japan, gaining a tariff advantage for its beef exports to that market. Also, once the TPP is implemented, should the Japanese tariff for Australian beef under the existing agreement ever drop below the Japanese beef tariff under the TPP, then Canadian beef will get the lower tariff. While it may never need to be triggered, it is very positive to see this commitment to maintaining level terms of access. Fifteen years after the TPP Agreement comes into force, the Japanese tariff on Canadian beef will reach its final level of 9%. At the current tariff level of 38.5%, Canada exported $103 million of beef to Japan in As the tariff gradually reduces down to 9%, Canada could double or triple its annual beef exports to Japan. CCA President Dave Solverson called the TPP a game-changer for Canada s beef industry -- and Canadian agriculture as a whole. Producers interested in reading the Agreement for themselves, which runs 30 chapters in length, can go to CCA Update on Domestic Agriculture Policy and Regulations The CCA has been busy evaluating the current Agriculture Policy Framework Growing Forward 2, which is scheduled to expire in Presently, the CCA is working to identify ways to improve existing programs and developing priority requests for Growing Forward 2 s successor. With the election of a new Liberal Government, there is a great opportunity for the CCA to inform current policy makers about beef producers priorities for the next framework. The Liberal Government has identified many areas in domestic agricultural policy that the CCA can collaborate with them on. With the likelihood of increased infrastructure investment under this government, there is a chance to provide input on many projects that could benefit the beef industry such as improved water management systems and value-added processing facilities. Enhanced, long-term funding for basic research and Beef Science Cluster programing continues to be a key goal for the industry. The CCA is well positioned to present government with the benefits research has generated not only for the cattle industry but for the general public as well. There is also a tremendous opportunity for the cattle industry to advance its priorities for business risk management programs and encourage investments in young beef producers. Additionally, the CCA will continue to educate new policy makers about why industry initiatives such as Traceability and the Verified Beef Production program are advantageous for Canadian agriculture and therefore require further implementation.

3 The CCA is also consistently working with other agriculture industry groups to address labour shortages, which continues to be an issue for beef farmers and meat processors. As a member of the Labour Task Force, the CCA is participating with the Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council, which developed an Agriculture and Agri-Food Workforce Action Plan ( ). Again, the changes in Parliament provide an excellent opportunity for agriculture and agri-food to work closely with government to develop policies that allows the beef cattle and meat processing industries access to much needed workers. Beef Industry Agvocate Update November is a big month for cattle shows in Canada and with these events come great opportunities to agvocate. The Beef Advocacy Canada (BAC) booth will be travelling to FarmFair International in Edmonton, AB and the Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, SK, in the coming weeks and volunteers will be sharing the beef story with a variety of audiences. BAC is an online educational resource designed to provide information on the Canadian beef industry to anyone interested in learning more. Participants are provided with resources and encouraged to share their experiences with consumers through advocacy efforts in person and online. BAC is active on social media, through Twitter and partners with other agvocates using hashtags including: #agproud, #agmorethanever, #cdnbeef, #makeitcdnbeef, #agvocate and #farm365. A second course in the BAC program will soon be available and will focus on how to address timely social license issues in the beef industry, such as antibiotic use, as well as additional advocacy tips. Cattlemen s Young Leaders Program participants will be assisting at the BAC booth, among others, during FarmFair and Agribition. They were also active at the McDonald s educational booth at the annual Toronto Royal Winter Fair. Those who are interested in putting their advocacy skills to work can join the BAC community by visiting visiting the BAC team at FarmFair or Agribition, or by contacting Jolene Noble at noblej@cattle.ca. Reviewing Animal Welfare Practices With New Employees With the new Liberal Government focused on a number of initiatives around job creation, the CCA is eager to collaborate with them to address the chronic workforce issue in agriculture. In the beef industry, producers, feedlots and packers struggle to find skilled and willing workers interested in long-term employment. While the residual impacts of the downturn in the energy sector may see an increase in people with little or no previous agriculture experience applying for work in the beef industry, employers in Canadian agriculture must remain vigilant in their hiring practices. It s important to exercise proper due diligence in hiring practices, particularly when reviewing resumes, to ensure employers do not hire someone that could endanger themselves, the animals and land in their care or their business. Hiring is an excellent time for employers to discuss on-farm animal welfare practices with potential candidates and to remind current staff to remain vigilant at all times about animal welfare. Ensure all staff are familiar with and use The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle ( which sets out scientifically informed

4 practices for the care and handling of beef cattle. Require and encourage staff to report animal abuse if and when they see it. This is particularly important to consider in terms of livestock transportation. It is illegal in Canada to haul infirm animals unless to a veterinarian for treatment and it is the responsibility of producers, transporters and their employees to ensure all animals are fit to ship and are treated humanely. Check to see if transporters have completed the Canadian Livestock Transport (CLT) Certification Program and be thorough in reviewing safe loading and handling practices. For additional information on transportation and determining if an animal can be safely transported, go to There are a number of steps employers can take to ensure their hiring practices are solid. Screen candidates thoroughly. Scrutinize the applicant s employment history. Take the time to check references by verifying previous employment. Check the applicant s home address. Be sure to have an open dialogue with the candidate, particularly if there is no previous experience working with livestock or if a candidate is seeking no pay in exchange for the work experience. Be sure to have an open dialogue with the candidate, particularly if there is no previous experience working with livestock or if a candidate is seeking no pay in exchange for the work experience. Unfortunately, some candidates may have other motives and it takes only seconds for someone to take a potentially unflattering video on a smartphone and post it to the internet. Feedlot owner/operator John Schooten checks out all the references provided for both business and personal in the resumes of potential candidates. We also talk about and show them our safety manuals and discuss with them our animal welfare practices and the importance of adhering to those. We have several templates that we go over and discuss including biosecurity, he said. Animal welfare is a top priority for the CCA and the industry as a whole. Careful screening of potential applicants and regular conversations about safe and humane handling practices can ensure producers get the help they need while protecting their stock, their land and their livelihood. Introducing CCA s New Communications Coordinator The CCA is pleased to welcome Stina Nagel in role of Communications Coordinator. Working closely with Gina Teel, Communications Manager, she will help to provide timely and effective information to producers and the public. Nagel holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies from the University of Calgary and brings experience in corporate communications, writing, editing and event management. Nagel joins us most recently from the energy sector, however she has strong ties to the agricultural community and a passion for the industry. The daughter of a rural large animal veterinarian, Nagel was raised on a small, mixed operation near Crossfield, AB where she was actively involved in the 4-H program. In her spare time, Nagel enjoys travelling, team roping and pack trips in the Rocky Mountains. Stina Nagel

5 CCA Action News Staff Contributors: Brady Stadnicki, John Masswohl, Jolene Noble, Tracy Herbert Written, edited and compiled by: Gina Teel and Stina Nagel The Canadian Cattlemen s Association is the national voice for Canada s beef cattle industry representing 68,500 beef farms and feedlots. To sign up for CCA s Action News: For more information, contact: Visit and click on Action News Signup CCA Communications at feedback@cattle.ca or visit our website at Head office: Ste. 180, th Street NE, Calgary, AB T2E 7H7 Phone: Fax: Ottawa office: 1207, 350 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON K1R 7S8 Phone: Fax: