Policy & Issues

Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) is a producer-driven organization. Resolutions from our members drive BFO policy development and provide direction for the association. The BFO Board of Directors is responsible for implementing all policies and providing direction in response to emerging and recurrent issues affecting the Ontario beef sector. Development of all policies and positions are made with the best interests of the Ontario beef sector in mind while giving due regard to the specific needs of the various sectors within the industry.

Provincial Priorities (2026)

  1. Establish a government-backed Breeder Loan Guarantee Program to improve access to affordable capital, support herd expansion and renewal, and reduce financial risk for cow-calf operators.
  2. Address critical veterinary shortages by improving access to veterinary services and modernizing the Veterinary Assistance Program (VAP) to reflect current costs, service models, and on-farm realities.
  3. Implement Risk Management Program (RMP) enhancements and accelerate the government phase-in of new funding, ensuring timely, predictable income support during periods of market volatility.
  4. Fix and modernize Ontario’s carcass condemnation process by improving transparency, consistency, and dispute resolution mechanisms to ensure producers are treated fairly and compensated appropriately.
  5. Initiate a comprehensive review of the PAWS Act to assess its on-farm impacts, unintended consequences, and alignment with existing animal care, transport, and welfare frameworks.
  6. Increase public investment in meat processing capacity while reducing regulatory and taxation burdens, strengthening domestic processing resilience, competition, and producer returns.
  7. Secure increased and sustained funding for the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance research agreement, supporting applied research, innovation, and evidence-based policy development for Ontario’s beef sector.
  8. Develop a livestock Incident Command Centre to strengthen preparedness, coordination, and rapid response capacity for foreign animal disease (FAD) threats and other livestock emergencies.
  9. Modernize the Beef Cattle Marketing Act (BCMA) by removing exemptions for custom processing, to ensure equity in check-off remittance.
  10. Explore community pasture expansion and renewal opportunities by securing government and ENGO partnerships to fund infrastructure upgrades, enhance environmental outcomes, and expand grazing capacity.

FEDERAL Priorities (2026)

  1. Protect and strengthen Canada–U.S. beef trade by actively defending the integrated North American market and forcefully opposing any U.S. tariffs or trade measures that undermine Ontario beef producers’ competitiveness.
  2. Achieve full harmonization of Specified Risk Material (SRM) removal requirements with the United States to reduce unnecessary regulatory burden, processing costs, and competitive disadvantages for Canadian cattle and beef.
  3. Closely monitor the implementation and impacts of V-USA (vCOOL) and aggressively oppose any re-emergence of mCOOL or similar labelling regimes that promote market segregation, distort trade, or increase costs for Ontario beef producers.
  4. Secure a permanent increase to the interest-free limit under the Advance Payments Program (APP) to a minimum of $350,000, ensuring the program reflects current input costs, market volatility, and producers’ cash-flow realities.
  5. Hold regulators accountable during traceability implementation by advocating for phased implementation, practical flexibility, and targeted transition funding to ensure compliance does not impose undue cost or operational risk on producers.
  6. Eliminate the 100-day U.S. residency requirement to restore efficient cross-border cattle movement and remove an unnecessary barrier to trade in an integrated North American market.
  7. Prioritize the protection of Ontario’s finite agricultural land base, which is essential to the long-term viability of farm families and Canada’s food production. Any development that results in the loss of agricultural land (i.e., Alto High-Speed Rail, Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar) must involve transparent consultation with the agricultural sector and include strong farmland protections, meaningful mitigation measures, and fair compensation for impacted farm operations.
  8. Obtain a federal exemption from Electronic Logging Device (ELD) requirements within a 240-km radius of origin and destination for livestock transport, recognizing animal welfare, operational realities, and the unique nature of live animal hauling.
  9. Advocate for sustained public and private investment in meat processing capacity, including regional and medium-scale facilities, to improve resilience, competition, and market access for Ontario cattle producers.
  10. Work with Correctional Service Canada and CFIA to identify a viable pathway to reopening the Joyceville Penitentiary Abattoir, restoring critical processing capacity and regional supply chain stability.