USMCA Deal Harmful for Canadian Turkey Farmers

Oct 01, 2018

MISSISSAUGA, ON – Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC) is examining the details of
the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), but is concerned turkey farmers and their
families will be hurt by the terms of the agreement.

“While we look for further details on the implications of the deal, we know that any concessions
made, in addition to previous concessions under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific
Partnership (CPTPP), come at a cost for our farmers and rural Canada,” said TFC Chair Darren
Ference. “We will be looking to the government of Canada for an action plan to support our farmers
in light of trade deals that are eroding the sustainability of our local food sector.”

“Ninety per cent of Canadians say they want turkey produced in Canada according to a recent
survey, but this deal will cause losses of family farms and less local turkey production,” said
Ference. “The severe impact on farmers and the entire value-chain requires remedial measures.”
“We have been working with the federal government on a strategy to offset the harm CPTPP is
causing, but this new NAFTA deal elevates the urgency,” noted Ference. “We will be pushing for
timely commitments to mitigation and remedies.”

“Supply management is being eroded by concessions in CPTPP and USMCA,” said Ference. “We
share the disappointment of farmers in the dairy, chicken and egg sectors on the increased market
disruption from USMCA. We are looking for a guarantee from the government that we will no
longer entertain further disruption to supply management and harm to the livelihoods of Canadian
farm families who produce Canadian poultry, dairy and eggs.”

Source : Turkey Farmers of Canada

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.