An eavesdropper outside next Tuesday’s federal cabinet meeting may well hear the sound of antlers crashing, as ministers clash over a proposal to renew salmon farming licences in British Columbia.

It is understood that Fisheries and Oceans Minister Diane Lebouthillier will put forward a plan to renew the existing licences of open net-pen Atlantic salmon farms for another eight to 10 years, giving them time to transition to systems that reduce interaction between wild and farmed salmon.