Category: Agriculture Policy

The current political climate between Canada and China could be called chilly, however the strained diplomatic relationship seems to be having little impact on the real world economic and trade relationship. Carlo Dade, director of the trade and investment centre at Canada West Foundation, says that despite political tension, trade with China is increasing. Why... Read More

The federal government is lifting its nearly two-year pause on reviews of pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs), while also introducing a ban on cosmetic pesticide use on federal land. Ministers representing Health Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada shared the multi-pronged announcement on Tuesday as part of the government's larger... Read More

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

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