When Canada's agriculture and trade ministers --- as everybody expected following the World Trade Organization's latest ruling against U.S. country of origin labeling --- promised to retaliate unless the labeling rules are repealed, virtually all Canadian livestock producer groups and provincial governments who benefit from cross-border cattle and hog trade applauded the federal government's swift... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Update on May 20th: The U.S. House Agriculture Committee, as expected, approved Chair Michael Conoway’s bill to repeal COOL on Wednesday morning by a vote of 38-6. It’s expected the entire House will vote on it in early June. The final ruling from the World Trade Organization against U.S. mandatory country of origin labeling and... Read More
The World Trade Organization has once again sided with Canada and Mexico, as the WTO Appellate Body published a fourth and final ruling on U.S. country of origin labeling rules today. The appeal panel decision affirmed earlier rulings saying COOL illegally discriminates against foreign livestock (read the report and findings here). “The United States has... Read More
Research is supposed to give decision makers information from which they can make sound policy. Without research-based information, what evidence would decisions be based on? Hearsay? Emotions? Gut feel? Some intuition must be part of any decision, sure, but at the core, at least when it comes to public policy, there must be something more... Read More
A fourth and final decision from the World Trade Organization on U.S. mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) rules will be announced in the next few days. The WTO has said its decision on the Americans' latest appeal to maintain COOL will be shared with members no later than May 18th. Another ruling in Canada... Read More
Frost concerns in May are an unwanted but not entirely unexpected weather pattern for Alberta farmers, but unlike some weather, political patterns can come out of nowhere. With the election of a majority NDP government in Alberta last week, many concluded that hell had, indeed, frozen over. That is one heavy frost, if I do... Read More
New #wrp MLAs getting ready for their first Official Opposition caucus meeting. #ableg pic.twitter.com/IoflvVjp81 — Team Wildrose (@TeamWildrose) May 11, 2015 Wildrose leader Brian Jean met with his party's members today, in their first Official Opposition caucus meeting, where he announced the members of the shadow cabinet: Drew Barnes, MLA Cypress – Medicine Hat is... Read More
"It's what the consumer demands." Whether it be new products on store shelves, changes to government regulation, or new on-farm protocols, this has become the trumping selling point for whatever it is that needs selling. “The Consumer” is demanding oversight. “The Consumer” wants a more sustainable product. “The customer (read: consumer)” is always right. But... Read More
There’s plenty to cover in this week’s ag news update — from planting progress across the country to trouble in Alberta’s sugar beet industry. Oh, there was also an election in Alberta. Here’s “This Week on Real Ag” for the first week of May: Get the latest ag news delivered to your in-box — subscribe... Read More
The Grain Farmers of Ontario are speaking up about concerns they have regarding the reach of Ontario’s ministry of environment. It’s no secret that GFO disagrees with the province’s proposed regulations regarding the use of neonicotinoid corn and soybean seed treatments — regulations the producer group says equate to a de facto ban on the... Read More