In a stunning recent announcement by Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), which represents over 18,000 producers, the group publicized it will be leaving the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) effective July 1, 2026.
In a statement released following the announcement, ABP Chair Doug Roxburgh said, “Membership in national organizations like the CCA must deliver clear value to Alberta’s cattle producers. ABP holds high standards for fiscal transparency, governance, and communications, and we expect the same from the organizations we support. The CCA does not meet those standards. After seeing no meaningful progress or willingness to change, we’ve made the decision to withdraw our membership. We have a duty to Alberta producers to ensure their dollars are invested in organizations that reflect and advance our industry’s values.”
ABP General Manager Brad Dubeau went on to say, “We are focused on delivering strong, strategic representation for Alberta’s beef industry. In light of the Board’s decision, we have mapped a strong path forward to ensure Alberta’s voice continues to be heard—provincially, nationally, and internationally.”
ABP claims to fund over 50% of the CCA budget through the $2 Alberta Service Charge. The group said the decision does not affect the funding to the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off Agency ($2.50/head levy) or its service providers: Canada Beef, Public and Stakeholder Engagement and Beef Cattle Research.
ABP outlined factors that went into the decision in areas of funding and fiscal transparency, organizational structure and governance, and communication. Regarding funding and fiscal transparency, ABP wants the assessment rate of $0.53 to be maintained, but seemingly more important was their concern for the need of financial oversight by a finance chair within CCA and an effective audit committee in place.
In the same statement, several bullet point issues surround concerns for an independent third party to help with finding a new executive vice president, review the current structure and review current communications in a timely manner before information is released to the entire membership. While ABP contributes over 50% of CCA’s budget, they are only allocated seven of the 24 representative seats, or less than 30% of the vote, ABP said.
According to Statistics Canada, Alberta is home to over 4.7 million head of cattle, which represents just over 40% of the Canadian beef herd. Canada, much like the U.S., has seen a major decrease in their cattle inventory over the last several years and has followed suit with the U.S. in terms of retention and rebuilding.
The timing of this announcement and its abruptness is shocking to nearly everyone outside the boardroom. From a timing perspective, keep in mind that Canada and the U.S. have been going back and forth in tariff threats. Even though the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will generally keep cattle and beef trade exempt, the looming threat is always there in current politics.
Additionally, funding directed towards CCA keeps lobbying positions afloat in Ottawa as well as Washington, which is a very important aspect in the equation. Splitting resources will potentially have a ripple effect when industry groups are split up, as we’ve seen this in several instances in the U.S.
From a producer perspective, we must assume that the issues ABP stated to the industry were not surprising to CCA. In an article published by the Medicine Hat News, Roxburgh says, “None of our suggestions are new to the CCA. Despite our efforts in asking for change, we have not seen meaningful progression or a willingness to address these concerns. We owe it to Alberta cattle producers to ensure their dollars are invested in organizations that will align with their values and priorities. This decision was not made lightly, and it reflects thoughtful process and support from our delegate body.”
Roxburgh continued, “We recognize we’ve got approximately 18,000 producers across this province, and we recognize there’s differing opinions on this decision. I just want to emphasize again that the delegate body had thorough discussions, and the board of directors had thorough discussions on the current move. All of these producers are elected to these boards to make sure that those producer dollars coming into our organization are being utilized in the most efficient manners possible. And so we appreciate all the conversation on it.”
This is an extremely bold decision with a lot of implications to follow. Precedent is a major issue when it comes to change. If this move unfolds to help Alberta’s producers, will we see more provinces follow suit and divide the CCA even further, or will we see a concession to ABP’s demands to keep the CCA’s presence at current levels? All of this is yet to be determined, and the situation will keep evolving leading up to next summer’s membership expiration date. In the short term, the issues are now public and shows the distrust even in the surging market we have today. — LOGAN IPSEN
