First it was oil companies to feel the wrath of the Liberal government’s Bill C-59 ‘greenwashing’ law by suspending net-zero targets.Now farm groups are weighing in on provisions of the Competition Act that would preclude them from touting the environmental benefits of new products and agricultural practices.Bill C-59, which was given Royal assent in June, is presently undergoing a month-long public consultation process. In its own submissions, the Canadian Cattle Association (CAA) said it is concerned with measuring emissions reductions among Canada’s livestock herd.The legal ramifications of Bill C-59’s amendments mean agricultural producer and commodity organizations — and even individual farms — could end up the target of litigation for failing to sufficiently prove claims..Failing to do so carries an up to $15 million fine.That means Bill C-59 will make it incredibly difficult — and possibly very expensive — for even the most basic claims a producer group or farm makes about environmental actions.To wit: despite efforts to cap methane emissions from cattle, the CAA claims greenhouse gas emissions from beef production are less than half the global average and has goals to reduce them further by 2030 by implementing innovative feed and grazing practices.According to the National Beef Sustainability Assessment, Canadian beef producers have reduced methane emissions intensity by 15% between 2014 and 2021 alone..And in fact, it’s a selling point for Canadian beef exports — a point underscored by Alberta Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson at the Calgary Stampede earlier this summer when he flatly rejected any notion of a ‘fart tax’ on Canadian cattle.The question is whether the Competition Bureau will accept the methodology given for making those claims given that they’re based on “internationally accepted” standards from groups like the European Union which are aggressively implementing taxes on livestock and even fertilizer producers.In a statement, the CAA echoed those concerns.“(The) CCA has voiced concerns about Bill C-59 amendments, specifically measurement protocols used,” the organization said in a statement. “(The) CCA supports the continuation of using science-based measurement standards as the Canadian beef sector is currently using.”
First it was oil companies to feel the wrath of the Liberal government’s Bill C-59 ‘greenwashing’ law by suspending net-zero targets.Now farm groups are weighing in on provisions of the Competition Act that would preclude them from touting the environmental benefits of new products and agricultural practices.Bill C-59, which was given Royal assent in June, is presently undergoing a month-long public consultation process. In its own submissions, the Canadian Cattle Association (CAA) said it is concerned with measuring emissions reductions among Canada’s livestock herd.The legal ramifications of Bill C-59’s amendments mean agricultural producer and commodity organizations — and even individual farms — could end up the target of litigation for failing to sufficiently prove claims..Failing to do so carries an up to $15 million fine.That means Bill C-59 will make it incredibly difficult — and possibly very expensive — for even the most basic claims a producer group or farm makes about environmental actions.To wit: despite efforts to cap methane emissions from cattle, the CAA claims greenhouse gas emissions from beef production are less than half the global average and has goals to reduce them further by 2030 by implementing innovative feed and grazing practices.According to the National Beef Sustainability Assessment, Canadian beef producers have reduced methane emissions intensity by 15% between 2014 and 2021 alone..And in fact, it’s a selling point for Canadian beef exports — a point underscored by Alberta Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson at the Calgary Stampede earlier this summer when he flatly rejected any notion of a ‘fart tax’ on Canadian cattle.The question is whether the Competition Bureau will accept the methodology given for making those claims given that they’re based on “internationally accepted” standards from groups like the European Union which are aggressively implementing taxes on livestock and even fertilizer producers.In a statement, the CAA echoed those concerns.“(The) CCA has voiced concerns about Bill C-59 amendments, specifically measurement protocols used,” the organization said in a statement. “(The) CCA supports the continuation of using science-based measurement standards as the Canadian beef sector is currently using.”
