UPDATED – The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) has launched an incentive payment for CRSB Certified producers.
To be eligible for the $400 CRSB Certified Producer Incentive, producers must maintain and update their certification as of June 30, 2026 or have been CRSB-certified between Jan. 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026 and have completed all related eligibility requirements, including:
- agreeing to share information with the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) for chain of custody purposes
- submitting cattle birth dates into the Canadian Livestock Tracking System (CLTS)
- submitting move-in events on the CLTS
- moved in cattle are to be from CRSB certified operations to maintain chain integrity
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Producers can expect the payments in October.
“(The incentive) serves as a thank you from the CRSB and its supply chain partners that the investments beef producers have made to become certified do not go unnoticed,” said CRSB chair Ryan Beierbach in a press release.
In 2023, the CRSB ran a pilot credit program funded by Cargill, which provided a top-up payment to producers who received less than $400 for qualifying cattle in 2022.
“The Cargill Recognition Credit was provided in collaboration with the CRSB, with the intention that this CRSB Certified Producer Incentive would replace it,” said Andrea White, CRSB director of marketing and stakeholder relations in an email to Glacier FarmMedia.
The new incentive will also pay out a full $400, regardless of where cattle were processed, rather than topping up producer payments, White said.
The incentive is also aimed at upholding CRSB sustainability standards in production and processing focused on the principles of natural resources, people and the community, animal health and welfare, food, and efficiency and innovation.
The incentive is set to continue annually with payments determined by amounts of CRSB Certified beef sold by enrolled producers. Funds will be distributed evenly amongst the eligible producers.
There are 1,243 farms and ranches that are CRSB Certified, encompassing 4.8 million acres of grazing land across the country. There are nine companies that source this beef, the CRSB website shows.
To become certified, a producer has to go through a certification body – either Verified Beef Production Plus or Where Food Comes From – which performs a risk assessment based on the findings from an on-site audit of the operation. The operation must meet a minimum level of “Achievement” on the principles of sustainable beef to become certified. Producers may also have to undergo pre-certification training.
