In her first trip to Saskatchewan, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau spent the day in Saskatoon discussing the issue of China blocking Canadian canola shipments with producers and industry stakeholders. Trade Diversification Minister, Jim Carr was also present during the two part meeting held late last week. Bibeau says they're "ready to go" when... Read More
Category: Canadian Agricultural Policy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Winnipeg, Man,. on Tuesday and took questions from reporters about what's happening with Canada's trade relations with China. Questions centred on canola, as earlier that morning it was announced China banned Viterra from exporting canola seed due to "hazardous pests." Trudeau said, "We're continuing to work very hard to try... Read More
As Canada continues to develop a new seed royalty structure, researchers have been comparing models in other countries to better understand the financial implications to farmers, the effectiveness and ease-of-use of the options, and the eventual impact of changes on plant breeding programs. Richard Gray, professor and Canadian Grain Policy Chair at the University of... Read More
On Tuesday morning while in Winnipeg, Prime Minister Trudeau stated that "we are looking at the possibility of sending a high level delegation to China." The Prime Minister is facing stiff criticism from western Canadian farmers for the lack of apparent action and response on the canola matter. This critique will only heighten with the... Read More
Effective immediately, China's General Administration of Customs has banned Viterra's shipments of canola to the Asian country. This announcement by China comes just days after the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) stated, "Chinese importers refuse to purchase any canola seed from Canada at this time." A spokesperson at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada stated to RealAgriculture... Read More
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last visited Winnipeg, Man., about a month ago for a funding announcement. According to his updated itinerary, he'll be returning to the River City this week alongside Minister of International Trade Diversification, Jim Carr to meet with CEO and president of Richardson International, Curt Vossen. The meeting comes five days after... Read More
The news that China has blocked not just Richardson International’s exported canola, but all Canadian canola seed has sparked outrage among farmers across Canada. “It’s very frustrating to be shut out of our largest market. This is why you need your national organizations and your federal government constantly nurturing these relationships to keep trade functioning,”... Read More
Following the recent release of Canada's Food Guide, Dalhousie University launched a survey to judge awareness, understanding, and affordability of the new guide. Led by Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, senior director at the Dalhousie University Agrifood Analytics Lab, the study suggests that although more than one-quarter of those surveyed say the new Food Guide recommendations are... Read More
The federal government has earmarked nearly $4 billion in compensation in its next budget for those involved in the supply-managed sector. Now, dairy, chicken, and turkey groups are waiting for the specific details on how the money will be doled out. "What I see here in the budget is something that, where the government is... Read More
The Canadian government needs to start being honest with itself and farmers. Talking a tougher game would be a great start. China has hijacked the Canadian canola industry. Until someone proves to me otherwise I will continue to say that China's cancellation of a major grain company's export license is political. Pretending that this is... Read More