A recently signed inter-provincial trade deal isn't doing much for a local cattle producer.

Wade Nelson runs Highwood Valley Ranch Beef and he says something needs to be done.

"I mean it's great that we have all these international trades and we want to work on that but locally I can't sell my beef product to Fernie (B.C.) which is something I'd love to be able to do," Nelson says.

Nelson says part of the problem is inter-provincial trade rules that have to do with getting meat federally inspected before it can leave one province for another.

"If we were to slaughter a cow federally we could, but to my knowledge Lacombe is the only plants so it's blows our profitability right out of the water," he says. "I don't think Cargill's going to take me, on a booking three animals on a Thursday and they're going to give me that product back, I don't think they operate on that scale."

He says MP John Barlow and his Free The Beer campaign which seeks to take down barriers between province in the craft brewing trade have helped bring the issue forward but more still needs to be done.

Nelson brought his concerns to a meeting with Conservative trade critic Gerry Ritz in High River last week.