Cattle buyers at the Cobden sale barn.
Two men recently convicted of dealing cattle without a licence
Nelson Zandbergen
Farmers Forum
OTTAWA — Why does Ontario law require cattle dealers — even small-time drovers — to be licensed?
The recent convictions of two Ontario men for buying and selling cattle without a licence serves as a reminder that the 43-year-old licensing regime has a purpose. It acts as a reimbursement program and ensures that farmers get paid if a licensed dealer fails to pay for purchased cattle.
“But if you deal with an unlicensed person, you’re on your own,” says Beef Farmers Ontario president Craig McLaughlin.
In that case, the farmer can’t be compensated through the Beef Cattle Financial Program, administered by Agricorp. The program is funded by a 10-cents-per-head charge exclusively collected at time of sale by licensed cattle dealers. It’s a group that includes country drovers, packing plants, slaughterhouse operators, community sales operators and commission agents.
“We’ve had calls over the years from people who sold to unlicensed dealers and didn’t get paid,” he said. “Unfortunately, there’s little we can do in those cases.”
Ontario began licensing cattle traders and set up the compensation program in 1982 as a result of two major defaults then worth about $2 million, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness confirmed for Farmers Forum.
The law was introduced in reaction to “shady” drovers offering attractive cattle prices to farmers but failing to pay, McLaughlin said. In today’s environment of record high cattle prices, the stakes would be even higher for a farmer who got stiffed on a deal. “Basically, it’s like rustling cattle,” McLaughlin observed. “If you don’t get paid, if it’s big enough, that can put a guy out of business.”
The two men who recently pleaded guilty to dealing cattle without a licence, in separate instances, were both fined for the provincial offense. In January, Allan Stirling of Little Britain was handed a $2,500 fine for buying and selling 40 cattle between May 11 and Aug. 3 of 2024, according to OMAFA.
In May, Navan-area resident Dennis Bakker was fined $1,250 after OMAFA investigators determined he was “actively dealing in cattle at the Ottawa Livestock Exchange” without a licence. Investigators intervened in the Bakker case after hearing of a complaint.
While farmers are allowed to buy and sell cattle without a licence as part of their regular business operations, suspicions may arise if they appear to be doing more than stocking their herds. “I think it’s licensed dealers turning guys in who are flipping cattle,” McLaughlin said.
Agricorp currently lists 133 licensed cattle dealers in the province. Allan Stirling appears on the 2025 list, but Bakker does not. Neither one returned Farmers Forum calls for comment.
