Undercutting Canadian ranchers now mean fewer will rebuild, one rancher said
Young Canadian ranchers are warning a potential trade deal with South America could have long lasting effects.
Speaking in Ottawa on Oct. 28, Judson Christopherson, a third-generation cow-calf producer from Yellow Grass, Sask., and president of the Canadian Cattle Youth Council, said the potential trade agreement between Canada and the Mercosur bloc could hurt farm families and consumers.
“If you undercut Canadian ranchers now, fewer will rebuild,” he said. “That means less Canadian beef and more reliance on other countries for food, leading to bigger price fluctuations down the road.”
Canada and the Mercosur bloc, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia, have been working on a deal since 2018.
This April both sides indicated an agreement could be reached by the end of this year.
A key component of the trade deal is additional market access for Mercosur beef to Canada.
Canada already imports significant volumes of beef from South America.
Between 2021 and 2025, imports of beef from Mercosur countries increased by 238 per cent, the Canadian Cattle Association says. And by mid-January of 2025 Mercosur countries filled the annual beef import quota.
And in 2026 beef imports from the South American bloc continue to rise.
From January to June, import volumes from Mercosur were up 15 per cent compared to the same time in 2025.
Details about how much more Canadian access Mercosur beef could receive are unavailable as of Oct. 29.
This is occurring as Canadian ranchers are rebuilding herds.
August 2026 data from Stats Canada showed Canadian producers held 12.1 million cattle and calves as of July 1, up 3.2 per cent from 2025, with the number of beef heifers kept for breeding up 5.7 per cent from last year.
“Young cattle producers like myself are starting to regrow the herd,” Christopherson said. “If we want to grow more food in Canada, and not rely on imports, we need to ensure our business environment is stable so that we can bet on our future.”
This includes making Livestock Price Insurance a cost-shared program under the BRM suite, he added.
Opposition MPs are concerned the proposed trade deal resembles more of a one-way street.
A fair deal needs to be mutually beneficial, said John Barlow, the Conservative ag critic.
“We are concerned that there is not reciprocity when it comes to trade one way or the other but certainly the inability of Mercosur countries to meet Canadian standards when it comes to animal husbandry, production standards and certainly disease reporting,” he said. “Until we get some assurances that Mercosur countries are going to open up their markets and meet Canadian standards and regulations, I would urge the Liberal government to rethink the speed at which they are negotiating this trade agreement.”
Canada’s cattle sector isn’t the only industry concerned with the impacts of a Mercosur agreement.
In December 2018 and June 2019 respectively, the Canadian Steel Producers and Trade Justice Network each outlined reasons why this deal is a bad idea.
And at least one area of Canadian ag is in favour of a deal.
In June, Fertilizer Canada expressed its unwavering support because of the opportunities it could provide for Canadian fertilizer.
“For Canada’s fertilizer industry, this is not a theoretical opportunity,” Michael Bourque, the organization’s president and CEO, told Prime Minister Carney and some cabinet ministers in a letter.
Of the Mercosur countries, Brazil is key for Canada’s fertilizer and potash industries.
In 2025 Brazil imported about $1.6 billion of Canadian potash, or about 30 per cent of all Brazilian potash imports.
That year, total Canadian exports to Mercosur, which also includes Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia were valued at $5.1 billion.