As a young rancher who dreams of thriving in the cattle industry, I find myself troubled by the recent move to introduce new regulations for CFIA traceability. This change doesn't just stand as a bureaucratic shift, but threatens the very fabric of our operations. I believe that these regulations in the long term will lead to total government control—echoing concerns from the European agricultural sectors.

Having worked across various roles within the cattle industry, I can confidently assert that our current disease tracking systems are effective. The new regulations leave in no room for the many of us who live in areas that lack cell service, the ranchers who do not have the proper technology to keep up with this, or even just for those of us who don’t give our calves a CCIA tag as soon as they hit the ground. There is no thought about how when a cow dies at pasture often the tag is the first thing to disappear. Theres no thought about the calf that no one even tries to tag until branding because the mom’s a little too high headed. Or what about the old boys who don’t touch any of their calves until it’s time to brand? With the new rules and regulations we are all going to be getting fined for the reality of how our world works- if you look at the European countries this sounds pretty familiar.

The strength of the Canadian cattle industry is its self-reliance and resilience. With the current regulations its easy to track disease out breaks before they get out of hand. As it is; the contaminated animal can be tracked down to the farm of origin, and from there, can contact the neighbors and fellow ranchers involved. I don't know a single rancher who doesn't know where his/her cattle are at all times, or whose cattle they neighbor with-so why does the government need to know where everything is at all times? I believe we are on a fine-line between doing what we love while producing a high quality product, and becoming slaves to the government with a more expensive and lower quality product.

Our livelihoods are at stake, and by standing together, we can voice our disapproval. Let's push for reassessment of these regulations.

Childhood dreams are built on ranches and the open sky. Let's protect them. Please sign this petition to urge the government to stop the implementation of these new CFIA traceability regulations, and safeguard the future of our Canadian cattle industry.