Agriculture
Alberta premier slams Trudeau gov’t for ‘ridiculous’ attempt to regulate cattle emissions
From LifeSiteNews
Danielle Smith said she is in disbelief that limiting cattle farts and burps is an important issue and warned that restrictions could lead to food shortages.
The Premier of Canada’s largest beef-producing province blasted what she said is a “ridiculous” new Liberal federal government climate policy that aims to incentive beef cattle ranchers to reduce how much gas their cows emit by giving them feed additives.
After first attacking Canada’s oil and gas industry a few weeks ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced at the United Nations’ “climate change” COP28 conference in Dubai a few days ago a draft version of Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle protocol.
The Trudeau government claims that farmers who participate in the program will get green credits they can sell off to other companies if they can reduce the amount of methane their cows emit, which they say can be done by giving cattle feed additives.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that she was in disbelief the Trudeau government is attacking beef products and food in general.
“Incredibly, this is actually real,” Smith posted Monday on X (formerly Twitter).
“How is going after ranchers and dairy farmers a priority of this federal government? Completely ridiculous.”
Should beef cattle farmers go along with Trudeau’s plan, it would add extra costs that would lead to higher food prices and possibly food shortages.
Cows fed a diet richer in corn silage can reduce how much methane an animal emits; however, this adds costs.
As a natural course of digestion, as will all animals and humans, cows produce methane gas as a byproduct. Methane quickly breaks down in the atmosphere, but the Trudeau government says 31% of emissions from it come from beef and dairy cattle.
For now, the program is aimed just at beef cattle but could be extended to dairy livestock in the future.
The only other alternative for Canadian farmers to reduce the amount of gas their animals produce is to cull their herds, which does not seem to be on the table but has occurred in other nations.
Cattle farmers in Ireland and the Netherlands have faced actual forced reduction cuts in their herd size via government mandates.
Smith said Guilbeault’s plan to try and stop cows from farting and burping is a “new low.”
“Some astute journalists have flagged that the Federal government’s bizarre cow emissions announcement calls for using chemical additives to reduce methane emissions. A new low for the eco-extremists,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Guilbeault’s new incentives in trying to stop cows from farting and burping are just the latest in a series of his climate change announcements.
Earlier at COP28, he unveiled a plan to slash oil and gas emissions by 35%-38% below 2019 levels. He claimed that it is important to reach “carbon neutrality in Canada by 2050.”
Smith blasted him as a “menace” for going after her province and the oil and gas industry in general and vowed to fight him with every tool available to her government.
Last week, she warned the federal government under Trudeau to “watch” her over how she will shield her province from economic damage and high fuel prices after the feds announced Guilbeault’s plan to cut oil and gas production by a third by 2030 via an “emissions” reduction scheme.
‘Globalist’ has master plan to control food supply and force people to eat ‘bugs,’ says notable doctor
In a recent opinion piece posted to LifeSiteNews, Dr. Joseph Mercola noted how if “government and corporate entities are able to take control of the land, they can control the food supply and, with it, the people.”
“Ultimately, the war against farmers is a war on the whole of humanity, one that threatens what it means to be free,” he wrote.
Mercola noted how “Globalists suggest eating bugs will protect the planet by eliminating the need for livestock, cutting down on agricultural land use and protecting the environment.”
He highlighted the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which encourages the consumption of insects and insect-based foods, as an example.
Mercola also observed how Epoch Times reporter Roman Balmakov stated in his “No Farmers, No Food: Will You Eat the Bugs?” show that “The people in charge of some of the most powerful organizations on the planet have determined that agriculture, specifically animal agriculture, is to blame for global warming, and global warming is to blame for the high prices of food as well as food shortages.”
Trudeau’s current environmental goals are in lockstep with the United Nations’ “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and include phasing out coal-fired power plants, reducing fertilizer usage, and curbing natural gas use over the coming decades, as well as curbing red meat and dairy consumption while promoting people eat ‘bugs” instead.
The reduction and eventual elimination of the use of so-called “fossil fuels” and a transition to unreliable “green” energy has also been pushed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) – the globalist group behind the socialist “Great Reset” agenda – an organization in which Trudeau and some of his cabinet are involved.
Agriculture
Lacombe meat processor scores $1.2 million dollar provincial tax credit to help expansion
Alberta’s government continues to attract investment and grow the provincial economy.
The province’s inviting and tax-friendly business environment, and abundant agricultural resources, make it one of North America’s best places to do business. In addition, the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit helps attract investment that will further diversify Alberta’s agriculture industry.
Beretta Farms is the most recent company to qualify for the tax credit by expanding its existing facility with the potential to significantly increase production capacity. It invested more than $10.9 million in the project that is expected to increase the plant’s processing capacity from 29,583 to 44,688 head of cattle per year. Eleven new employees were hired after the expansion and the company plans to hire ten more. Through the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit, Alberta’s government has issued Beretta Farms a tax credit of $1,228,735.
“The Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit is building on Alberta’s existing competitive advantages for agri-food companies and the primary producers that supply them. This facility expansion will allow Beretta Farms to increase production capacity, which means more Alberta beef across the country, and around the world.”
“This expansion by Beretta Farms is great news for Lacombe and central Alberta. It not only supports local job creation and economic growth but also strengthens Alberta’s global reputation for producing high-quality meat products. I’m proud to see our government supporting agricultural innovation and investment right here in our community.”
The tax credit provides a 12 per cent non-refundable, non-transferable tax credit when businesses invest $10 million or more in a project to build or expand a value-added agri-processing facility in Alberta. The program is open to any food manufacturers and bio processors that add value to commodities like grains or meat or turn agricultural byproducts into new consumer or industrial goods.
Beretta Farms’ facility in Lacombe is a federally registered, European Union-approved harvesting and meat processing facility specializing in the slaughter, processing, packaging and distribution of Canadian and United States cattle and bison meat products to 87 countries worldwide.
“Our recent plant expansion project at our facility in Lacombe has allowed us to increase our processing capacities and add more job opportunities in the central Alberta area. With the support and recognition from the Government of Alberta’s tax credit program, we feel we are in a better position to continue our success and have the confidence to grow our meat brands into the future.”
Alberta’s agri-processing sector is the second-largest manufacturing industry in the province and meat processing plays an important role in the sector, generating millions in annual economic impact and creating thousands of jobs. Alberta continues to be an attractive place for agricultural investment due to its agricultural resources, one of the lowest tax rates in North America, a business-friendly environment and a robust transportation network to connect with international markets.
Quick facts
- Since 2023, there are 16 applicants to the Agri-Processing Investment Tax Credit for projects worth about $1.6 billion total in new investment in Alberta’s agri-processing sector.
- To date, 13 projects have received conditional approval under the program.
- Each applicant must submit progress reports, then apply for a tax credit certificate when the project is complete.
- Beretta Farms has expanded the Lacombe facility by 10,000 square feet to include new warehousing, cooler space and an office building.
- This project has the potential to increase production capacity by 50 per cent, thereby facilitating entry into more European markets.
Related information
This article supplied by Troy Media.
The supply management system is cracking. With imports climbing, strict quotas in place and Bill C202 on the table, we’re struggling to feed ourselves
Canada’s supply management system, once seen as a pillar of food security and agricultural self-sufficiency, is failing at its most basic function:
ensuring a reliable domestic supply.
According to the Canadian Association of Regulated Importers, Canada imported more than 66.9 million kilograms of chicken as of June 14, a 54.6 per cent increase from the same period last year. That’s enough to feed 3.4 million Canadians for a full year based on average poultry consumption—roughly 446 million meals. Under a tightly managed quota system, those meals were supposed to be produced domestically. Instead imports now account for more than 12 per cent of this year’s domestic chicken production, revealing a growing dependence on foreign supply.
Supply management is Canada’s system for regulating dairy, poultry and egg production. It uses quotas and fixed prices to match domestic supply with demand while limiting imports, intended to protect farmers from global price swings and ensure stable supply.
To be fair, the avian influenza outbreak has disrupted poultry production and partially explains the shortfall. But even with that disruption, the numbers are staggering. Imports under trade quotas set by the World Trade Organization, the Canada-United States Mexico Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership are running at or near their allowable monthly share—known as pro-rata
levels—signalling not just opportunity, but urgency. Supplementary import permits, meant to be used only in emergencies, have already surpassed 48 million kilograms, exceeding total annual import volumes in some previous years. This isn’t a seasonal hiccup. It’s a systemic failure.
The system, designed to buffer domestic markets from global volatility, is cracking under internal strain. When emergency imports become routine, we have to ask: what exactly is being managed?
Canada’s most recent regulated chicken production cycle, which ended May 31, saw one of the worst shortfalls in over 50 years. Strict quota limits stopped farmers from producing more to meet demand, leaving consumers with higher grocery bills and more imported food, shaking public confidence in the system.
Some defenders insist this is an isolated event. It’s not. For the second straight week, Canada has hit pro-rata import levels across all chicken categories. Bone-in and processed poultry, once minor players in emergency import programs, are now essential just to keep shelves stocked.
And the dysfunction doesn’t stop at chicken. Egg imports under the shortage allocation program have already topped 14 million dozen, a 104 per cent jump from last year. Not long ago, Canadians were mocking high U.S. egg prices. Now theirs have fallen. Ours haven’t.
All this in a country with $30 billion in quota value, supposedly designed to protect domestic production and reduce reliance on imports. Instead, we’re importing more and paying more.
Rather than addressing these failures, Ottawa is looking to entrench them. Bill C202, now before the Senate, seeks to shield supply management from future trade talks, making reform even harder. So we must ask: is this really what we’re protecting?
Meanwhile, our trading partners are taking full advantage. Chile, for instance, has increased chicken exports to Canada by more than 63 per cent, now accounting for nearly 96 per cent of CPTPP-origin imports. While Canada doubles down on protectionism, others are gaining long-term footholds in our market.
It’s time to face the facts. Supply management no longer guarantees supply. When a system meant to ensure resilience becomes a source of fragility, it’s no longer an asset—it’s an economic liability.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Canadian professor and researcher in food distribution and policy. He is senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast. He is frequently cited in the media for his insights on food prices, agricultural trends, and the global food supply chain.
Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country.
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