With the appointment of Lianne Rood as the shadow minister of agriculture this week, I think there will be a change in approach regarding agricultural issues between now and an election. Like her predecessor John Barlow, Rood has a strong background in agriculture and an eye on eventually being the minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Much of the Canadian demand for organics is met by imported products. To address this, the Canadian Organic Growers (COG) is launching a federally-funded project to help get more Canadian consumers buying organics produced locally by Canadian organic farmers. With a grant of $640,000, COG will develop a strategy to identify and find solutions to... Read More
It's a bit early to see what the impacts of the recent frost are on crops in Saskatchewan but for the most part, David Marit, minister of agriculture in Saskatchewan, says the crop is either ripe, in a swath, or being straight cut. As of last week, 28 per cent of the crop was harvested,... Read More
New leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and now Leader of the Opposition, Erin O’Toole, has named his shadow cabinet ahead of the second session of the 43rd Parliament, set to begin in late September. Lianne Rood, who was elected MP for Lambton – Kent – Middlesex, Ontario in 2019, will sit as Shadow... Read More
What works for animal production sectors won't necessarily work for the grain sector, says the chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), referring to the Canadian Pork Council's latest request for changes to business risk management (BRM) programs, specifically AgriStability. While farm groups across the country have been pushing for BRM reform for years, GFO's... Read More
The federal government needs to step up and fix its business risk management programs for farmers. It should also consider paying farmers for soil management practices that sequester carbon, invest in rural internet, and partner with other countries that trade with China to gain leverage on international markets. That's according to federal New Democrat agriculture... Read More
Later this week, it will be an offence under Ontario law to "stop, obstruct, hinder or otherwise interfere with a motor vehicle transporting farm animals." Ontario's government has proclaimed Section 6(1) and three other related sections of Bill 156, the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020. These proclamations will ensure the safety... Read More
The federal government has announced a last-minute extension to the application deadline for its Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan program, as well as hinted at future changes that could help more businesses — including farms — qualify for the small business loan. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, on... Read More
New data on farm cash receipts for the second quarter of 2020 sheds some light on the early impact the pandemic has had on farm income across the country and across different commodities. Livestock receipts were down $629 million — nearly 10 per cent — from April through June of this year versus the same... Read More
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, have published a list of more than 75 food and food processing projects funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Approximately $5.4 million in projects have been approved, covering improving food safety, increasing labour productivity, and enabling better access to... Read More