The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) is disappointed and frustrated by tariffs imposed by the American government, saying a prolonged trade war between Canada and the United States will result in major challenges for cattle producers across the country.

“We’ve put a lot of time and effort into advocating against the tariffs,” says Tyler Fulton, Vice President of the Canadian Cattle Association. “We advocated directly with our U.S. counterparts to make sure they understood the consequences to their industry and the U.S. consumer as well.”

“It’s frustrating that we find ourselves in this position, and I can’t help but think that, at some point, all of this pain could have been avoided.”

Fulton notes the cattle industry is deeply intertwined across North America, with cattle frequently moving between Canada and the U.S. for grazing, feeding, and processing. The sudden tariffs have left many producers scrambling.

“I can’t think of a more risky time to be in the cattle business than what we’ve got right now.”

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Canada and the United States have the largest two-way trade in live cattle and beef in the world. American-born cattle are fed in Canadian feedlots before returning to the United States for processing. Tariffs greatly increase the cost of processing cattle and the cost of beef on both sides of the border.

The CCA is urging producers to explore risk management programs to help mitigate the tariff risk. It’s also in talks with federal and provincial governments about countermeasures.

“We will be meeting with them several times in the days and weeks ahead,” says Fulton. “What I can say is, the beef industry has always prided itself on being a real self-reliant group. That’s just core to our culture. So, when we advocate for specific demands on what to include in countermeasures, know that it’s coming from a very thoughtful place and that it has really critical impacts on our industry in the short and long run.”

He adds that should the tariffs remain in place for the long-term, it will reshape the trade dynamics between the two countries. But for now, uncertainty remains the only constant.