Ottawa brought its climate change crusade to the Calgary Stampede Wednesday in a bid to reduce emissions from Canada’s beef pastures..Agriculture Canada representatives announced $12 million in grants to the Canadian Cattle Association for 23 research and technology projects designed to lower the industry’s environmental footprint..In a statement, AgCan said the aim is to bolster the federal government’s climate change mitigation strategy while supporting its emissions reduction targets. .Research activities include reducing methane emissions through feeding strategies, breeding forages that are more productive and profitable and developing technologies for faster response to emerging diseases, it said in a statement.."Across the country, beef farmers and ranchers are incorporating new methods into their day-to-day routines to meet the global demand for Canadian beef," said Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau.".'Today's (spending) will help the sector continue to deliver results and maintain their solid reputation, while continuing to contribute to our environmental goals.”."Beef producers across Canada continually strive to maintain and improve our animal health and welfare practices, food safety standards and environmental stewardship."."We are eager to utilize the outcomes… to responsibly deliver superior products and preserve land and livelihood that we pass on to the next generation,” added Craig Lehr, chair of the Beef Cattle Research Council — an operating subdivision of the CCA — and an Alberta beef producer..The CCA is a national federation funded by cattle producers and led by a producer-elected board of directors, which works to improve market access and address issues concerning Canada's beef producers..The BCRC. determines research and development priorities for the industry and administrates the research funding dollars. Projects and final funding are subject to negotiation of a collaborative research and development agreement, ostensibly to allow transfer of intellectual property..The beef and cattle industry is one of the largest in Canada, with 11 million cattle and calves on 72,275 farms and ranches as of 2022. About half of all cattle in Canada are from Alberta..According to the BCRC emissions from Canadian beef production amount to 11.04 kg CO2 equivalent, representing 2.4% of Canada's overall emissions or less than half the world's average..Beef production requires the use of water, land and feed, which all generate distinct environmental pressures. Cattle, as a ruminant species, are also characterized by the release of greenhouse gas emissions, mostly due to enteric fermentation, manure excretion and feed consumption..On the flip side, according to the BCRC, the land used for beef production helps to sequester over 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon in Canada. It also says cattle grazing is essential for healthy grasslands and populations of wild birds such as hawks and owls..“Science continues to drive innovations that help Canadian food and agricultural producers to better manage risks (including from climate change), increase their competitiveness, protect the environment and develop new products and markets,” AgCan said.
