Non-Albertans Can Now Buy Grazing Leases In The Province

An exception recently removed from the Canadian Free Trade Agreement will allow Canadian's outside of Alberta to purchase grazing leases in the Province, where they couldn't in the past.

On Saturday, September 21, the Alberta Government announced it's scrapping eight exceptions from the trade agreement, and narrowing two more, in an act to lift more interprovincial trade restrictions.

Alberta Beef Producers Government Relations and Policy Manager, Tom Lynch-Staunton, says they're all about reducing interprovincial trade barriers, however the removal came as a bit of a surprise as it wasn't on their radar.

"If the other provinces follow suit and allow for Albertan ranchers the ability to also purchase leases in their provinces, then it should be okay, and we would support that."

He says they'd also like to see the grazing leases owned out-of-province used for cattle production, but he believes they will be subject to the same rules, so there shouldn't be an issue.

Lynch-Staunton adds, with grazing leases being open to more buyers, there's concern the price of lease land with adjoining deeded land could increase.

"Especially if a producer in Alberta is hoping to expand, and so we'll have to figure out whether there's anyway to mitigate that increase. However, if you're trying to sell a piece, it makes your land with an attached lease a little bit more valuable."

Lynch-Staunton believe most grazing leases are probably already owned in Alberta.

He says one of the interprovincial trade barriers the beef industry's been keeping a closer eye on with hopes of being removed in the future is the ability of provincial abattoirs to be able to sell meat out of province.

"Our provincially inspected abattoirs allowed to process animals and they're allowed to sell to Alberta residents, but there is a restriction of trade of meat from provincial abattoirs across the country."

The Government's removal of exceptions follow their decision to eliminate 13 Canadian Free Trade Agreement exceptions in July.

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