Celebrating Federal Investments in the Canadian Beef industry at Agribition 2024

The start of this year’s Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) in Regina, Saskatchewan, highlighted the future of sustainable beef production in Canada. The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, joined farmers, exporters, and industry stakeholders to announce key federal investments supporting the work of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) and the broader beef industry.

Minister MacAulay participated in a roundtable discussion with representatives from the Canadian cattle sector, where he emphasized a new federal investment of up to $5,440,882 for five projects funded under three programs.

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) is receiving over $4,569,682 for four projects through the AgriAssurance Program and the AgriCompetitiveness Program. These projects include:

• Updating two key CRSB assurance systems: the National Beef Sustainability Assessment and the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework.
• Improving its Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program.
• Developing the Grassland Production Index User Interface, a digital forage insurance system and risk management tool.
• Expanding the Guardians of the Grasslands Game into classrooms across eight new provinces and developing a tradeshow version of the game.
• The Canadian Beef Breeds Council is also receiving funding.

Ryan Beierbach, Chair of the CRSB, remarked:

“The Canadian industry does more than talk sustainability. We measure what we do and how we can and are improving our environmental, social and economic impacts and benefits. This funding helps to do that measuring, and to improve the value chain to bring certified sustainable beef to market.”

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is pleased to see the Government of Canada’s continued investment in sustainable agriculture. These projects will enhance the ability of Canadian producers to adopt best practices, improve industry standards, and bring measurable sustainability benefits to the beef value chain.

By working together with government and industry stakeholders, the CRSB remains committed to driving progress and ensuring Canadian beef production continues to set the standard for environmental, social, and economic sustainability.