Highlights from the Chair: Strong progress during a busy time for ABP

Between calving, bull sales, breeding season and getting cows out to pasture, spring is always a busy time. Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) has also been active on some key issues and policies over the last few months.

Many producers have been asking about the planned withdrawal of ABP from the Canadian Cattle Association. Prior to the CCA’s annual meeting in March, the Provincial Working Group of the general managers and chairs from all nine member provinces got together to finalize what we believed the framework of CCA should look like.

CCA Chair Tyler Fulton and Executive Director Andrea Brocklebank joined us at the end of the discussions, to get an overview of what was being proposed. I think it’s important producers understand the changes far exceed what was originally outlined on the withdrawal of ABP, as we dove into the overall structure of the organization at a much higher level.

I really want to highlight that the members of the Provincial Working Group have been fantastic. Alberta Beef Producers may have been the ones to rip the band-aid off to get the ball rolling, but I would say the engagement and interaction from other provinces has been ten times greater than I even anticipated.

A lot of the recommendations we supported came from other provinces. So it certainly was not a case of Alberta saying, “this is what we want.” The other provinces had a tremendous amount of input. I’m really excited to see the work being implemented at the CCA. Chad Ross, the chair of the Saskatchewan Cattle Association called these changes “generational,” and I think that’s a great way to sum it up.

We then had really productive meetings in Ottawa at the CCA AGM. There were a number of motions put forward, which were all supported in principle. After everything is finalized by the individual provinces, we’ve still got work to do on implementation details. It will definitely take some time, because we have bylaw changes and legalities to make happen, but I think we have a very well laid out framework of what the CCA would look like. You can read more details on the proposal on page 20 of this magazine. I’m extremely energized to see how all provinces came together to support how we can build a stronger national organization.

Definitely the hot-button topic at our tour of 15 ABP Producer Meetings across the province this winter was traceability. We heard producers’ concerns, and were able to take those in resolution form to our March AGM in Calgary. Our response included a traceability open forum at the start of the meeting, both in person and online. It gave an opportunity for those who hadn’t been to a producer meeting to talk directly to the provincial government and CCIA. Once we got into the resolutions at the AGM, we committed to forming a Traceability Working Group, including a very broad but strategic spectrum of people, to have a discussion on what we feel traceability should look like going forward.

I think no producer undervalues the premise of traceability within our industry, but they had meaningful concerns over what they saw being outlined with further traceability regulations. We definitely heard them, and saw the need to reconsider the process, so we could circle back and look for a better path.

We encourage producers to read and give their input on the updated draft Beef Code of Practice recommendations from the National Farm Animal Care Council. The public comment period is open now until June 12. You will see Alberta Beef Producers sharing information on how to be part of the conversation. It is a national program that affects all beef producers, and now is the time to engage, because your input is important.

We support the CCA in its efforts around the South American trade bloc called Mercosur. Concern arose when, by mid-January 2025, the entire annual quota of beef imports to Canada had been filled in record time by Mercosur countries. The CCA is worried about the potential impacts of an expansion of imports from there, because these countries have different beef production approaches and standards than Canada. The CCA is calling for grassroots action against the inclusion of beef in the current Mercosur trade negotiations.

Still on trade, ABP along with other Canadian provinces hosted a dinner with nine U.S. states at the NCBA convention in February. We are focused on building relationships with these states to understand the importance of the CUSMA agreement and how integrated trade is flowing in our industry today—from the imports of American feeder cattle into Canada, to the exports of fats going back to harvest facilities in places like Utah. Now we’re working on getting those states to come up to our Stampede Summit in July, for more discussions on how vital free trade is to both sides of the border.

Our delayed spring has put us a touch behind getting crops in the ground. But I certainly believe the moisture is needed in many parts of the province, and so we’ll work through it the same way we do every year. I’m hoping we can have a productive year, and everybody enjoys the summer.

This was first published in Volume 6 Issue 2 of ABP Magazine (June 2026). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily.