Alberta Regulation 282/2025 amends the Agriculture Financial Services Regulation to establish a new compensation framework for livestock losses caused by wildlife predation. Made under the Agriculture Financial Services Act, the regulation introduces a new Part 4.1, titled Wildlife Predator Compensation. The amendments formalize eligibility rules, reporting requirements, valuation methods, and decision-making authority for compensating producers whose livestock are killed or injured by specified wildlife predators.

Compensation is limited to specific classes of livestock, namely domestic cattle, goats, sheep, swine, bison, and domestic cervids as defined under the Domestic Cervid Industry Regulation. This defined list narrows eligibility to commonly farmed animals and provides clarity for both producers and administrators.

Producers may seek compensation when livestock are killed or injured through predation by wolves, grizzly bears, black bears, cougars, or eagles. To qualify, claimants must report the incident to an appointed officer within three days of learning of the death or injury and must submit a claim in the form and manner determined by the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation. These procedural requirements are intended to support timely investigation and reduce uncertainty in determining causation.

Claims related to injured livestock are limited strictly to the reimbursement of veterinary expenses, including drugs and medication, paid by the claimant. The regulation does not allow compensation for indirect losses or production impacts, focusing instead on direct, verifiable costs. The regulation also introduces a category for livestock whose death is “probably” the result of predation. Compensation may be claimed in these cases if the death occurred within 90 days of another confirmed predation incident and within 10 kilometres of that location, providing a structured evidentiary threshold where direct confirmation is not possible.

Compensation levels are differentiated according to the certainty of predation. Livestock confirmed to have died as a result of predation are compensated at 100 percent of their commercial market value, while livestock whose death is confirmed as probably resulting from predation are compensated at 50 percent. For injured livestock, compensation for medical treatment is capped at the lesser of actual veterinary costs or the amount that would have been payable if the animal had died. If an injured animal later dies, any prior medical compensation is deducted from the death benefit to prevent double recovery. Compensation is further reduced by any value realized through sale or salvage of the animal or its parts.

Alberta (282/2025) January 13, 2026
Disclaimer: Insights are for informational purposes only and does not reflect RRI’s official position or constitute legal opinion.