Turkey Farmers of Ontario has received funding of nearly $560,000 to finalize and launch a new insurance product to protect Ontario turkey producers from losses associated with outbreaks of avian influenza. The funding is through the federal government's AgriRisk Initiatives. This new insurance product will be mandatory for all turkey farmers in Ontario and, once... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The Alberta government announced today that the 1976 coal policy that had been quietly repealed in June of 2020, will be reinstated. The province says it made the decision after hearing concerns raised by Albertans about surface coal mining. Four coal categories, which dictate where and how coal leasing, exploration, and development can occur are... Read More
Ottawa's decision to not expand carbon tax exemptions as called for by farmers and farm groups needs to be revisited, according to the Special Representative for the Prairies in the federal cabinet. Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr has served as Prime Minister Trudeau's Prairie representative since 2019, and was promoted back into Cabinet in... Read More
In the last federal election, Saskatchewan and Alberta sent zero Liberals to Ottawa, leaving the Prairie Provinces under-represented in cabinet. The government's answer to the issue was to name Manitoba MP Jim Carr as Special Representative for the Prairies. So, what does that actually mean? Jim Carr explains that it's his role to not only... Read More
Not only is Tom Vilsack set to return as U.S. secretary of agriculture, he's also open to bringing back U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) for beef and pork; but only if it doesn't lead to retaliation from trading partners, such as Canada, under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Vilsack, who was ag secretary when the Obama... Read More
We've now seen two deadlines for changes to AgriStability; one near the end of last year, and a public deadline that was set for the end of January for provinces to either agree or acknowledge that they were considering the proposal. Both deadlines have come and gone, which begs the question: where are we at... Read More
From business risk management fatigue, to the carbon tax, to adapting to changing labour demands, there's plenty to cover regarding Canadian policy right now. It may be February, but horticulture farms and businesses are trying hard to navigate ever-changing COVID-19 travel rules in an effort to bring employees to Canada. Plus, not one but two... Read More
It has been a really tough ninety days if you are a die-hard believer in the need to develop a code of practice for grain production in Canada. Although other agricultural sectors have had national codes for years, the concept has really struggled to gain support with grain farmers on the Prairies in and outside... Read More
Since the introduction of the draft Responsible Grain code of practice in late 2020, there have been farmers expressing their concerns and displeasure with the concept, based on numerous factors. There's been plenty of discussion on social media platforms regarding the code's intent, funding, and value to farmers. Given the feedback from farmers over the... Read More
At least two of the three Prairie provinces that have been holding out on accepting the federal government's offer to make changes to the AgriStability business risk management program say they're still considering the proposal. In mid-January, federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau gave the provinces a deadline for the end of the month to indicate... Read More