Jul 2 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — An industry-government working group should oversee BRM changes. Ottawa—Canola farms have taken a financial beating during the last few years and require immediate changes in government support programs to help them survive, says Bernie McClean, Chair of the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA). Waiting for the planned October meeting of the federal and provincial […]
Jun 30 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Current programs don’t reflect reality of today’s farms, MNP says. Ottawa—Two simples changes to AgriStability would go a long way in supporting Canadian farmers through the pandemic and into the future, says the accounting firm MNP. The changes would “ensure AgriStability meets its stated goals of equitability across all sectors and to make the […]
Jun 26 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Ottawa—Farmer dissatisfaction with AgriStability during recent years should be no surprise, says Alan Ker, the Ontario Agricultural College Research Chair in Agricultural Risk and Policy. The dissatisfaction can be seen in significant declines in that Business Risk Management (BRM) program, Ker, who is also a Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics […]
Jun 23 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Agriculture Canada calculation on the carbon tax on grain drying reveals what it doesn’t understand. Ottawa-Agriculture is going through its worse period in decades but farm groups can’t get governments to listen to their concerns and take action, says Markus Haerle, chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. COVID is creating “risks that are bigger […]
Jun 19 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Canadian grain shipments were up over last year. Ottawa—Shipping in the St. Lawrence Seaway for April and May was about 10 per cent lower than for the same period of 2019 but the result is considered good in light of the impact the pandemic and high-water levels had on cargo volumes and ship operations. The […]
Jun 18 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Long term agrifood strategy needed among actions needed. Ottawa—Government support to date hasn’t alleviated the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on farmers, says a report from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. What’s needed are “additional steps to alleviate the financial burden on primary producers, ensure export markets remain open and […]
Jun 17 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Other groups also complain farmers can’t afford its rising cost. Ottawa—Grain Farmers of Ontario says the facts don’t support an Agriculture Canada study that says the carbon tax on propane and natural gas used in farm grain drying operations is an insignificant expense. GFO President Markus Hearle said a statement that at an average […]
Jun 16 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — New worker health and safety costs are rising fast. Ottawa—A $77.5 million federal Emergency Processing Fund will help but falls short of covering the extra costs that food manufacturers face in meeting new federal health protection requirements for their employees, processor groups say. Michael Graydon, CEO of Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC), […]
Jun 10 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — It proposes 15 detailed steps to make BRM programs effective. Ottawa—The COVID-19 pandemic will have a catastrophic impact on farmers without a serious overhaul of Business Risk Management (BRM) programs, says MNP, a national accounting firm. Stuart Person, MNP’s Senior Vice President, Agriculture, told the Commons agriculture committee farmers “face challenges at a historic […]
Jun 9 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — While coping with the pandemic, the sector is looking ahead. Ottawa—Although food and beverage production is the largest manufacturing sector in Canada, there are virtually no federal resources focused on this major employer, say the cochairs of Food and Beverage Canada. While the situation is not new, the pandemic has confirmed the government’s lack […]
Jun 8 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Education for consumers on the project will be developed during the summer. Ottawa—Produce sellers now have a guide to the best plastics to package their products in to ensure food safety and protect the environment. The Preferred Plastics Guide was developed by an industry working group established by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) […]
Jun 5 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Dairy import quotas should be administered by dairy processors. Ottawa—Dairy product import licenses granted under the CUSMA trade deal should go to milk processors to ensure their financial viability in the face of sweeping changes caused by the pandemic and trade deals, the companies say. In a statement issued in late May, the Dairy […]
Jun 4 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Al-Katib headed the ambitious agrifood strategy table in 2018. Ottawa– Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO of AGT Foods of Regina, will the agrifood representative on the Industry Strategy Council (ISC) established by the federal government to help steer the recovery of the Canadian economy post COVID-19. Al-Katib chaired the Agrifood Strategy Table whose 2018 report […]
Jun 3 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — CAPI and the Arrell Food Institute collaborating on an in-depth look at what happened. Ottawa—The Canadian agrifood system has come in for a lot of attention during the COVID-19 pandemic and what that means long term will be the focus of a joint examination by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) and the Arrell […]
Jun 2 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Health Canada is looking at whether the U.S. action would help Canadian farmers. Ottawa-The USDA plans to modernize its regulations on biotechnology innovation and gene editing this summer and Canada needs to keep pace so its farmers don’t fall any further behind in new crop options, say agrifood groups. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny […]