The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) appreciated the announcement made on August 21 by the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, declaring the initial regions eligible for the Livestock Tax Deferral (LTD) provision.
This provision is welcome news for many cattle producers impacted by detrimental weather conditions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
However, from conversations around the CCA board table and with provincial member associations, we understand that some areas impacted by extreme weather this year have been overlooked. Please note that this announced list of designated regions is preliminary, and more regions will likely be added as forage yield information becomes available. We encourage cattle producers to contact their provincial associations if their region has been impacted by adverse weather and should be included on the list of eligible regions. CCA will continue to advocate for all impacted producers to be eligible for LTD.
Our advocacy efforts moving into the fall session of Parliament includes seeking the following policy changes to the LTD provision to make the tool more effective and reduce unnecessary delays:
LTD excludes producers who fall outside the prescribed region's boundary lines (yet feel the impacts of extreme weather) and those who are impacted by consecutive years of poor weather. CCA is requesting that producers are given the ability to self-elect instead.
LTD covers only ‘breeding animals’; when a severe weather event impacts feed availability, a producer must make decisions for the whole herd. CCA is requesting that this definition of 'breeding animals' be extended to include all classes of cattle.
CCA also continues to advocate for AgriRecovery support to come through as soon as possible.
For a complete list of the eligible early designation areas, click here.