Since the Canadian Farmer Sentiment Index kicked off in September, the rating given to one metric has stayed nearly unchanged. When farmers are asked to rate how well the federal government is supporting agriculture, just two per cent give an "excellent" rating. The numbers don't improve much for provincial governments either, resulting in an overall... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The Government of Canada has formally responded to the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service's proposal to change its Product of U.S.A. labeling requirements. The proposed rule changes stipulate an animal must be born, raised, and processed in the U.S. to carry the Product of U.S.A. label. Though voluntary, there are concerns in Canada that... Read More
The odds that the bill that would remove the federal government's carbon tax from fuels used for grain drying and barn heating will become law before summer are fading, following delays in the Senate. The Agriculture Carbon Alliance and its farm group members welcomed the passage of Bill C-234 at second reading in the Senate... Read More
Farm groups are urging members of the Senate to avoid stalling on Bill C-234, with limited time left on the calendar before Parliament's summer break. The proposed legislation, which was approved by the House of Commons earlier this year, would remove the federal carbon tax from propane and natural gas used for grain drying, barn... Read More
The Canadian government has decided to sign on as a third party in the United States' request for dispute settlement consultations regarding Mexico's restrictions on biotechnology in agriculture. Canada's trade and agriculture ministers, Mary Ng and Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced the decision on Friday, which was the deadline for joining the U.S. challenge under the rules... Read More
Update, June 9: The Canadian government has decided to sign on as a third party in the United States’ request for dispute settlement consultations regarding Mexico’s restrictions on biotechnology in agriculture. The U.S. government's challenge of Mexico's ban of genetically-modified (GM) corn for common food uses is being closely monitored in Canada, specifically in the... Read More
The Canadian government has not yet decided whether it will join the U.S. in its trade dispute over Mexico's restrictions on agricultural biotechnology. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai formally requested dispute settlement consultations with Mexico under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA or USMCA) trade agreement on Friday. The dispute revolves around Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador's... Read More
A new report commissioned by the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) and the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation (SSGF) looks at the differences in profitability between cow-calf and annual crop production in southwest Saskatchewan. Over a 50 year time period, the returns from grain farming are $508/acre higher than cow-calf production, according to the research modelling... Read More
A controversial proposal to allow up to three severances off an Ontario farm property will be walked back, according to a letter sent to Ontario farm groups by Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Steve Clark. The decision comes after several farm groups, led by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, lobbied the government to drop the... Read More
The international agricultural landscape is witnessing a troubling trend towards protectionism. In past eras, protectionism was enabled through prohibitive tariffs that blocked trade. World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations and bilateral trade agreements have largely eliminated tariffs from the protectionists’ toolbox, but, as evidenced by recent events, there are other ways in which trade can be... Read More