CALGARY, ALBERTA — Cargill, along with some of its customers, decided to renew a minimum $400 credit for beef producers certified with the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB).

The program allows for top-up payments of Cargill’s cattle credits for animals processed during 2023 of at least $400. The credit will be paid to CRSB-certified operations regardless of whether their qualifying cattle were sold to Cargill.

“In 2024, CRSB will prioritize identifying long-term solutions to ensure certification provides financial value and enduring benefit to producer participation,” said Ryan Beierbach, chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and beef producer from Whitewood, Saskatchewan. “We think the CRSB Certified program is one important tool for the Canadian beef sector to demonstrate continuous improvement, and the CRSB hopes other organizations will formally recognize its value.”

Along with Cargill, other customers are funding the CRSB credit, including Centennial Food Solutions, Gordon Food Service, Intercity Packers, MacGregors Meat & Seafood, McDonald’s Canada, Metro, Recipe Unlimited and Walmart.

“With this funding, we want to recognize the commitment of Canadian producers in ensuring the viability of this program and their dedication to sustainable practices throughout a difficult production year,” said Eliza Clark, sustainability lead for Cargill Protein and Salt. “We are also grateful for the many Cargill customers who have contributed to our combined investment of this initiative. It is their support of programs like the CRSB Certified Sustainable Beef Framework that allows us to create and sustain high standards for sustainability practices across the Canadian beef supply chain.”

CRSB noted that the credit would be provided for another year to “fill the gap” for Canadian beef producers who made the upfront investment of becoming CRSB Certified but did not receive at least $400 credit in financial return for qualifying cattle processed in 2023 as part of the existing qualifying cattle credits.

The information from CRSB noted that producers who received $400 or more in credits last year will not qualify in the latest cycle.

CRSB made it clear that qualified operations do not need to apply separately for this credit and can expect payment to arrive during April 2024 as long as it maintains an active certification status at the beginning of the year.