Environment
Consultations, as well as international and domestic meetings dominated the CCA’s environment & climate file in 2023. CCA submissions on important domestic policy such as the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, the National Biodiversity Strategy, and a new legally binding global agreement on plastics allowed the voices Canadian farmers and ranchers to be heard and emphasized the importance of beef production to the economy, to the environment, and to society.
Beyond domestic consultation, CCA was actively engaged at various international agricultural events. AIM4Climate in Washington DC brought numerous stakeholders together to catalyze and increase investment in climate smart agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO) hosted the first ever global conference on sustainable livestock transformation and simultaneously held a global youth dialogue on sustainable livestock transformation. The United Nations Climate Change conference had, for the first time, a thematic day dedicated to Food, Agriculture, and Water.
2023 Highlights
- CCA staff attended the first ever UN FAO global conference on sustainable livestock transformation and the global youth dialogue. CCA’s participation helped influence the text of the global youth statement, avoiding terminology such as “food sovereignty,” and eliminating text blaming livestock for climate change. CCA pushed instead to focus on the positive aspects of livestock to climate and biodiversity and had support to include a statement on “recognizing the contribution of livestock to ecosystem services and the environment.”
- The UN Climate Change conference had a dedicated day for Food, Agriculture, and Water. On December 8, CCA co-hosted and participated in an official UNFCCC side event with the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. On December 10, CCA co-hosted an event at the Canada pavilion about livestock as a nature-based solution and the contribution of grasslands to climate and biodiversity.
- CCA environment staff were on the Canadian Delegation to the UN Global Biodiversity Framework COP 15 sessions in Montreal and had the opportunity to communicate directly with Canadian negotiators on targets of concern for the beef industry. In the end we were successful in getting the appropriate text included in certain targets of concern.
Looking forward:
- CCA will remain engaged on domestic policy, programs, and consultations, including the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy development and the recently announced draft Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Beef Cattle Federal offset protocol and the draft National Biodiversity Strategy. CCA will continue to participate in and lead discussions on domestic and global livestock sustainability. Promoting the 2030 industry goals as well as programs and projects like the Grassland Conservation Initiative, SARPAL and other work we do to showcase the environmental stewardship activities of beef cattle producers across Canada.