Federal government climate announcements to benefit the environment and further beef sustainability

The CCA welcomes recent federal government announcements that will position Canada’s beef industry to work as a key partner to achieve shared environmental outcomes through both the Species At Risk Partnership on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) initiative and the Agricultural Climate Solutions program.

On March 17, CCA announced the contribution of $1.27 million from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in additional funding to continue species at risk stewardship activities through SARPAL. Over the next two years of this project, the focus will again be on working directly with landowners in the target area to conduct habitat assessments, develop habitat management strategies and employ beneficial management strategies to protect Greater Sage Grouse critical habitat. The project will also evaluate the feasibility of utilizing new technologies such as virtual fencing to protect sensitive habitats. An additional aspect of the latest SARPAL project is the scoping, development and delivery of innovative term conservation easements with willing landowners with Greater Sage Grouse critical habitat on their lands. 

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On March 18, 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 and Canada’s beef industry is well positioned to be a partner in reaching environmental outcomes. 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.

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