Articles by Alex Binkley

Jul 18 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Farm groups remind the agriculture ministers of the actions they’ve called for in recent months.   Ottawa—As agriculture ministers gathered in Quebec City for their annual mid-summer policy meeting, they were keeping an eye on the two-day Canada-EU summit up the St. Lawrence River in Montreal. Representatives of the AgGrowth Coalition travelled to Quebec City […]

Jul 17 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Adulterated imported honey discovery shows what can be done, agriculture minister says.   Ottawa—The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will receive $24.4 million to expand its efforts to prevent the marketing of fraudulent food products, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has announced. The funding will enable CFIA to revamp its existing food fraud program to conduct additional […]

Jul 16 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Support innovation and cut needless regulations among its proposals.     Ottawa—The Senate agriculture committee has pulled together a wide range of ideas into nine comprehensive recommendations to guide the federal government in boosting the export of value-added food products. In a report entitled Made in Canada: Growing Canada’s value-added food sector, the committee calls […]

Jul 15 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Meat processors and mushroom producers are at the front of the line.   Ottawa—After years of presentations to governments on the negative economic repercussions of worker shortages, the agrifood sector is finally in line for some badly-needed assistance. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said that up to 2,750 workers and their families could be admitted under […]

Jul 11 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — OECD remains critical of supply management.   Ottawa—Canadian farmers receive less government support than producers in many other countries, says the latest report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, it remains critical of supply management in the dairy and poultry sector. With the introduction of business risk management programs and shift of […]

Jul 10 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Cereals expected to be increasingly in demand.   Ottawa—Farmers around the world will face many challenges to meeting growing global food demand in the coming decade, says a joint report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization. While agricultural productivity growth should stay ahead of the projected 15 […]

Jul 9 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Almost half of farmers can’t find all the labour they need.   Ottawa – Almost half of Canadian farms can’t find all the workers they need and a third of them receive no applications from Canadians when they do post jobs, says the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC). As a result of the labour […]

Jul 8 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Report highlights obstacles to overcome to achieve rural prosperity.   Ottawa—While it has been said many times before, the federal Rural Development Strategy (RDS) makes a strong case for bringing the level of internet access urban Canada enjoys to the country. Announced by Rural Development Minister Bernadette Jordan, the strategy said, “Access to reliable, high-speed […]

Jul 4 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Will apply if ASF is found in Europe or Canada.   Ottawa—Canada and the European Union have strengthened a livestock disease zoning agreement to allow for normal trade in pork products from unaffected areas if African Swine Fever (ASF) is found in either jurisdiction. The move is line with a zoning agreement Canada has with […]

Jul 3 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Processors and the fresh produce sector working toward federal 2021 deadline.   Ottawa—Two food processor associations have launched efforts to reduce their member’s use of plastic in packaging in line with a federal government objective of banning single use plastics by 2021. Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) has endorsed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s […]

Jul 2 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — The review process was launched in 2016 and the need for crucial changes are clear.   Ottawa—Farm groups have released a four-point plan they want the federal and provincial agriculture ministers to act on during their annual summer meeting to better help farmers cope with weather and trade challenges. An overhaul of BRM was launched […]

Jun 26 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — The move follows the Chinese tactic in blocking canola shipments.   Ottawa—Blocking Canadian pork and beef shipments appears to be Beijing’s latest bully tactic to force Canada to release a hi-tech executive arrested in Vancouver under a U.S. extradition request. China said it was considering a halt in all meat exports after the Canadian Food […]

Jun 25 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Three quarters of Canadian food exports go to just four markets.   Ottawa—The agrifood sector recorded strong growth in exports during the last decade but more strategic investment at home and abroad could boost that performance even more, says Export Development Canada (EDC) says in a new report. The sector accounts for about 7 per […]

Jun 21 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Ottawa—A poll commissioned by Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) has found almost 90 per cent of Canadians are worried about the rising cost of food and that concern could become an election issue. Conducted by Abacus Data, the poll also found 92 per cent of Canadians say it’s critically important to have a […]

Jun 20 2019 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Action on Canada Brand labels and food waste among the priorities.   Ottawa—The long promised National Food Policy focuses more on social issues such as affordability than on agrifood production and marketing concerns. Called Everyone at the Table, it was released by Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau who said too many Canadians can’t reliably access […]