Agricultural Climate Solutions program holds promise as a useful mechanism to further beef sustainability initiatives

Today the Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced $185 million for the Agricultural Climate Solutions program which includes the Living Laboratories initiative. This program is intended to assist the Government of Canada in achieving its greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets. Canada’s beef industry is well positioned to be a partner in reaching environmental outcomes. It is anticipated that funding will bring together a broad set of participants including producers, not-for-profit organizations, scientists and sectoral stakeholders to support practices that are ready for immediate application. 

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) welcomes the funding announcement and its potential to foster collaborative solutions and technology transfer which will be required to achieve the federal government’s climate goals. CCA has long been a champion of sustainability initiatives and believes the Living Labs model is well aligned with the 2030 Beef Strategy Goals, particularly those related to carbon sequestration, reducing primary production greenhouse gas emission intensity by 33 per cent and conserving native grasslands habitat. 

“Canada’s beef industry is a world leader in environmental performance,” said Bob Lowe, CCA President. “We welcome opportunities to work with the Government of Canada through programs such as the Living Labs initiative to achieve our common environmental outcomes. Canada’s farmers and ranchers are part of the solution.” 

The 2030 Beef Strategy Goals are a suite of 10-year goals developed by Canada’s national beef organizations. These ambitious but realistic objectives demonstrate the Canadian beef industry’s clear and positive commitment to continual improvement. 

“We look forward to building additional partnerships to support the beef industry’s continual progress in achieving environmental sustainability goals,” said Matt Bowman, Beef Cattle Research Council Chair and a producer from Thornloe, Ontario. “This program provides an opportunity to further advance scientific knowledge and enhance technology transfer initiatives needed to achieve environmental goals while simultaneously supporting the profitability and vitality of the Canadian beef industry.” 

More information on the 2030 Beef Strategy Goals can be found at beefstrategy.com.