One of Canada's largest feedlots has said it won't be taking on any more cattle.

Western Feedlots announced Wednesday it's winding down its cattle operations.

Cattle market analyst Anne Wasko with Cattle Trends says the cattle feeding climate over the past year has been disastrous:

"It goes, of course, hand in hand with the record prices that feeder cattle were bought at last year and the resulting downturn in the market this year and that's meant these negative margins," she says.

President of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association Dan Darling, says the feedlot industry has been struggling.

"There's less money being spent on replacement cattle and that's hurting the cow-calf sector as well," Darling says. "But that's to be expected when the price the packers are giving is less than what the feedlots have in the cattle."

In making the announcement Western Feedlot cited the high risk/low return environment in cattle ownership, as well as a poor political and economic environment in Alberta.