I’m sure that with all the sabre rattling going on over NAFTA, our friends in the US understand why Canada and Mexico want to strengthen ties with each other, like we did earlier this month at a meeting in Calgary. There, Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and José Calzada, Mexican Secretary of... Read More
Category: Agriculture Policy
Italy's move to unilaterally impose country of origin labeling (COOL) rules for all packages of pasta sold in the country came as a surprise last week, leaving the Canadian government and durum supply chain exploring options for how they can challenge the measure that threatens Canadian durum wheat exports. Rather than waiting for the European... Read More
The federal government has issued an extension for sharing views on what Canada's first national food policy should look like. The online survey and comment period, which was originally slated to end on July 27, has been extended to August 31. (Find the survey here.) "A strong response from across the country has prompted Agriculture... Read More
Dairy Farmers of Canada's new president certainly has his work cut out for him. Pierre Lampron, a 51-year-old organic dairy producer from St. Boniface, Quebec, was elected at DFC's annual general meeting in Edmonton on Wednesday, replacing Wally Smith who served his maximum three terms dating back to July 2011. Lampron took some time to... Read More
Italy's government signed a decree on Thursday requiring packages of pasta sold in the country include country of origin labels. Italy is one of the largest markets for Canadian durum, importing around 1.2 million tonnes in 2015-16, according to Canadian Grain Commission figures. "We are putting Italy in the vanguard of Europe when it comes... Read More
Agriculture ministers from across Canada say they reached an agreement in St. John's today on the core elements of the next agriculture policy framework, which will be called the "Canadian Agricultural Partnership." CAP is a five-year $3 billion federal-provincial-territorial funding agreement that will replace the current framework, known as Growing Forward 2, which expires at... Read More
Negotiating trade deals to increase market access is typically not easy. Non-tariff barriers, thickening borders, and increased commerce bureaucracy all make access to global markets and free trade very difficult. But what if market access could be made easier by just asking for it. Why didn't former Presidents, NCBA and a handful of U.S. Trade... Read More
Farmers, researchers and government policy people are in Saskatoon today for the Prairie Agriculture Carbon Summit, hosted by the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan. As APAS president Todd Lewis explains in the interview below, the intent of the conference is to drive a conversation about the role farm practices have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions... Read More
Four groups concerned the Manitoba government's carbon tax plan will "negatively impact the provincial economy, and do little to reduce Manitoba’s greenhouse gas emissions" have formed a coalition to oppose the plan. The coalition includes the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and AxeTheCarbonTax.ca. They held... Read More
The Canadian Grain Commission has confirmed its user fees will be reduced as of August 1, 2017, in an effort to minimize further accumulation in the CGC's user fee surplus. “Reducing these fees means that millions of dollars will remain in the grain sector, where it can benefit producers and grain handling companies," notes Patti... Read More