Jan 27 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — CAFTA welcomes the move as an interim step to fixing the WTO trade dispute impasse. Ottawa—An agreement by 17 members of the World Trade Organization to establish an interim trade dispute arbitration process while working to repair its broken Appellate Body has been welcomed by the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Association (CAFTA). The agreement was […]
Jan 24 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Grain exporters have no alternatives to CN and CP to deliver their grain to export terminals. Ottawa—Rail transportation of the country’s grain harvest to export terminals must be deemed an essential service so it isn’t disrupted by a strike or work stoppage, says the Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA). The federal government already requires […]
Jan 22 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Farmers need to be encouraged to retain and restore wetlands. Ottawa—Instead of being an impediment to farming, wetlands have an environmental significance that needs to be recognized by producers and governments, says a new research paper from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI). Up to 70 per cent of historic wetlands have been degraded […]
Jan 21 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Industry welcomes the new rules as a way to establish trust in its products. Ottawa – New food safety rules for fruits and vegetables have come into force and organizations representing the sector are welcoming them. Ron Lemaire, President of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), said the new rules are “more than food […]
Jan 17 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Agrifood groups want more realistic Product of Canada labels. Ottawa–More than six months after an online consultation on proposed changes to the voluntary Product of Canada and Made in Canada food labels closed, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is still working through more than 2,000 comments from consumers, farmers, food manufacturers and retailers. […]
Jan 16 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Meetings to discuss compensation promised by Agriculture Canada but no dates set. Ottawa—While about three quarters of dairy farmers have already received their first payment to offset the impact of new trade agreements, the rest of the supply-managed sector is still waiting for Agriculture Canada to finalize their promised compensation. Of the 10,346 farmers who […]
Jan 15 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Several other components of the Food Policy for Canada waiting to be acted on. Ottawa—It will be a couple more months before the membership of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council is disclosed and a start is made on several related initiatives announced last year. The Food Policy for Canada was made public by […]
Jan 9 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Ottawa—A vaccine development centre at the University of Saskatchewan will develop and test treatments for African swine fever (ASF) in a project with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The University’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) will work on vaccines and antivirals that can be used against the ASF virus that kills pigs […]
Jan 6 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Ottawa – A pre-Christmas conference of senior livestock industry representatives made good progress on developing a plan for establishing Animal Health Canada (AHC) to monitor farm livestock health, says Rory McAlpine. A plan for setting it up as a stand-alone outfit is on a clear path for being fully ready to present to the federal-provincial […]
Jan 3 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Ottawa—A shortage of workers could undermine the potential of significant future growth in demand for Canadian food products, says a new report from the Canadian Agriculture Human Resources Council (CAHRC). Not only is the sector currently short 16,500 workers, about one-third of the current crop of farmers and workers will reach retirement age during the […]
Jan 2 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Environmental groups want to handcuff farmers, CropLife says. Ottawa-Federal Appeal Court Justice Richard Southcott has dismissed an application by environment groups challenging a 24 month phase out of certain uses of the neonicotinoid pesticide Thiamethoxam. The groups represented by Eco-Justice claimed the Pesticide Management Review Agency (PMRA) went beyond its jurisdiction in granting the […]
Dec 24 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Words matter when explaining modern agriculture to consumers. Ottawa—Farmers are ranked by consumers as the most reliable source of credible information on the food they’re eating with university academics a close second. A study released by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) shows farmers are trusted by 42 per cent of the public […]
Dec 23 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — It shows factual points to make in any discussion on modified foods. Ottawa—The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) has released a series of talking points farmers and others can use to promote a more balanced discussion on genetically modified foods The backgrounder will help “whether you need to explain what a GMO is […]
Dec 20 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — While a pilot project, industry hopes it will become the new normal. Ottawa—A week long extension of the Welland Canal shipping season in January drew a lot of interest from shipowners and shippers who have long wanted a bit more time to move cargo before ice closes the Great Lakes/Seaway system. While the Montreal-Lake […]
Dec 19 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — No holiday from pressuring governments on need for financial help. Ottawa—Farm groups are blasting the federal and provincial agriculture ministers for their failure to come up with badly-needed financial aid for grain growers. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) said the ministers should have done better during their […]