Originally posted on August 13, 2025 on RealAgriculture by RealAgriculture News Team.
Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) is signalling it will withdraw from the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) by June 30, 2026—unless significant changes are made to how the national group operates, citing ongoing concerns with governance, transparency, and representation. While the decision to withdraw effective June 30, 2026 made headlines this week, ABP chair Doug Roxburgh says the move is strategic, not final.
“This was not something that happened overnight,” says Roxburgh. “We’ve had these discussions with CCA for years, but haven’t seen meaningful change.”
At the heart of the issue is a mismatch between financial contributions and decision-making power. ABP currently provides 55 per cent of CCA’s funding, yet holds only 29 per cent of voting seats. ABP is calling for an end to the freeze on representation and a return to at least eight seats on the board. Roxburgh says Alberta is not seeking proportional control but believes “we have to get to a position where we’re better covered here in Alberta.”
Transparency around financial management is the second major concern. “CCA today does not have a finance chair in place,” Roxburgh says. “Because we don’t have that transparency with CCA to get information back as to how some of this money is being spent… we really struggle with CCA to get a clear picture.” He clarifies: “I don’t believe in any way we’re accusing CCA of inappropriately spending funds… [but] if CCA is going to require… more funding… we do have some concerns around that.”
Despite public speculation, Roxburgh says this is not about fundamental disagreements on policy. “I don’t believe that we’re on different paths,” he says. “We’re just maybe looking to bring the standard of operations up to a little bit higher standard here today.”
The current funding agreement remains in place until June 30, 2026. Roxburgh is hopeful that changes at CCA can be made during that time. Whether the move triggers real reform remains to be seen, but ABP has left the door open. “I truly do firmly believe we will get this figured out,” Roxburgh says. “Unfortunately… we had to kind of push it over the edge here to where we’re at today to hopefully make some of this happen.”
