Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee to discuss the environmental contributions of Canada’s beef sector.
My name is Fawn Jackson, and I’m the director of policy and international affairs with the CCA. With me today is Duane Thompson, a beef producer from Saskatchewan and the chair of CCA's environment committee.
The CCA represents Canada's 60,000 beef producers. The beef industry contributes $22 billion to Canadian GDP while supporting 348,000 jobs, but of great importance to our conversation today is that the beef industry is also a hidden gem when it comes to the environment and green jobs. While perhaps not as well-known outside of this committee, which knows this, in fact beef production in Canada is one of the best tools we have to reach our shared conservation goals and climate change goals, while also providing good-paying jobs for Canadian families.
Canada is a leader when it comes to sustainable beef production. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef was created to advance sustainability within the beef industry and includes a collaborative community of stakeholders. Through the CRSB, Canada was the first to create a certified sustainable beef framework, which is used today by smaller direct marketers, as well as companies such as McDonald’s and Chop Steakhouse. Since Canada’s leadership, now other jurisdictions have also replicated the CRSB model, and we're pleased to share that.
I am pleased to have Duane Thompson join me today to offer further insights into how beef production can be a key partner in achieving Canada’s environmental goals.
Please go ahead, Duane.