Source: Calgary Herald

Alberta Beef Producers is planning to withdraw its membership in the Canadian Cattle Association, saying the national group fails to meet its high standards.

The non-profit commission, which represents Alberta’s cattle producers, said its board of directors’ decision to withdraw from the national group — effective July 1, 2026 — follows “extensive deliberation” and a strategic review.

“Membership in national organizations like the CCA must deliver clear value to Alberta’s cattle producers,” Doug Roxburgh, who chairs the Alberta Beef Producers, said in a statement earlier this week.

“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.”

The Alberta group outlined a list of key factors influencing its decision to withdraw from the national association, which provides Canadian producers with a national and international voice on policy issues.

Among them, ABP wants board seats unfrozen and for representation to match how much each provincial group pays the Canadian Cattle Association. Under an existing freeze, Alberta Beef Producers says it pays more than half of the CCA’s budget but only holds seven of 24 seats.

ABP also says it has “significant concerns” surrounding governance, recommending the formation of a dedicated governance committee and using an independent third party to complete a comprehensive review of the national organization’s governance structure.

With “ongoing concerns” about the CCA’s fiscal transparency, ABP wants an elected finance chair and “an active and effective” audit committee.

The group has yet to see “meaningful progress” around the issues it’s raised with the CCA or a “willingness to change,” said Roxburgh.

“We have a duty to Alberta producers to ensure their dollars are invested in organizations that reflect and advance our industry’s values,” he said.

The ABP says it will continue its financial commitments to the national organization until June 30, 2026, when the current agreement between the two groups concludes.

“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,” said general manager Brad Dubeau.

Canadian Cattle Association hopeful solution can be reached

Canadian Cattle Association president Tyler Fulton said Friday he was surprised and disappointed by ABP’s announcement, but remains optimistic the groups can find a solution.

The groups currently have an interim agreement in place, in which Alberta was not paying into the organization based on the same formula as the rest of the provincial groups, he said.

ABP has some valid concerns, said Fulton, and in October the CCA, during its semi-annual meeting, was to address the funding model and representation of Alberta on its board. But that would require collaboration with the other provincial organizations, he added.

“My motivation is to make sure we have a unified, national organization that can advocate for beef producers across the country,” he said.

“The way to do that is with tweaks to our current governance structure but to ensure that Alberta has an appropriate representation based on the funding that they provide.”

ABPs decision to withdraw is damaging to the credibility of both organizations, both in terms of lobbying to government and international advocacy work, he said.

“It damages credibility back to producers as well,” said Fulton, adding it suggests that the work done by the CCA “isn’t absolutely critical.”

The Canadian cattle industry relies on international markets, exporting about half of the live cattle and beef, and Canadian beef producers are currently enjoying record prices, said Fulton.

But with the North American trade agreement coming up for review, the industry can’t afford to take its eye off the ball, he said.

“What’s absolutely critical is that we maintain the integrated cattle industry that we have in North America, because that’s what serves consumers and producers best,” said Fulton.