Beef Cattle Levy Amendments

Summary#

This is an order that changes who pays levies and how some classes of veal and calves are defined under the Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Levies Order. It sets new levy amounts for certain animals sold from Ontario and Quebec, adds new animal categories, and makes those levies stop on June 30, 2025. The order was registered on June 19, 2024 and published in the Canada Gazette on July 3, 2024.

What it does#

• Repeals the definitions for "grain-fed calf" and "milk-fed calf".
• Replaces and updates definitions:
  • Redefines bob calf by live-weight thresholds: less than 68 kg in Ontario; less than 109 kg in Quebec; or a dairy-breed under other provincial rules.
  • Redefines feeder calf as a beef-breed calf marketed for finishing at a live weight of at least 135 kg.
• Adds two new definitions:
  • fed veal — veal fed mainly on milk or grain and marketed for slaughter at 204–349 kg in Ontario, or 109–349 kg in Quebec.
  • started calf — dairy or cross-bred cattle marketed for finishing at 68–204 kg in Ontario, or 109–349 kg in Quebec.
• Changes the levy table (amounts payable by the seller’s province of residence):
  • For sellers in Ontario:
    • bob calves: $7.50
    • cull cows: $5.50
    • fed cattle: $5.50
    • fed veal: $7.50
    • feeder calves: $5.50
    • started calves: $7.50
  • For sellers in Quebec, adds:
    • fed veal: $17.75
    • started calves: $5.50
• States that Section 4 and parts of the order stop applying on June 30, 2025.
• The order takes effect on the day it was registered (June 19, 2024).

Who's affected#

• Cattle sellers and producers in Ontario and Quebec, including those who sell bob calves, started calves, fed veal, feeder calves, fed cattle, and cull cows.
• The Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency, which collects the levies.
• People or businesses involved in interprovincial trade of started calves and veal from Quebec (the order explicitly sets levies for those sales).
• It is unclear from the text whether this will affect sellers in other provinces beyond the changes for “other than Ontario or Quebec” wording in the bob calf definition.

Why it matters#

• The order changes who pays and how much is paid for specific categories of calves and veal. That can change costs for producers and sellers when animals move between provinces or enter finishing and slaughter channels.
• New weight-based categories (started calf, fed veal) can shift which sales are charged which levy amount. That may affect pricing, record-keeping, and buyer/seller decisions.
• The levies are temporary under this order because they are set to cease on June 30, 2025, so this is a short-term change unless extended or replaced later.