Prime Minister Mark Carney has committed to dismantling interprovincial trade barriers by Canada Day, something Alberta’s goat industry would very much like to see happen.

Mallory Kaiser is a goat producer and president of the Alberta Goat Association. She says differing provincial inspection rules are blocking local goat meat from being sold across provincial borders.

“It’s been hard for the last few years to find someplace to take our goats and sheep to be processed,” she says. “It’s frustrating when you’re close to either the Alberta or Saskatchewan borders, and there’s not a place to take your product, or there are certainly rules that prevent you from bringing it back.”

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Kaiser says interprovincial restrictions, rising abattoir costs, and competition from cheaper, international imports are putting pressure on Canadian goat producers.

“Our producers are expected to compete with meat coming from Australia and New Zealand, and it’s sold for $30 at stores,” she explains. “The biggest issue has been abattoirs, which had to increase costs because of the carbon tax. Hopefully, that will all be changing and we’ll see some adjustments made by the new government, and some new rules.”

Despite the challenges, Kaiser says local demand for goat meat is growing, and goat producers across the country are keeping their fingers crossed that the federal government will follow through on its promise to tear down provincial trade walls.