From new developments in Canada's latest case of BSE to the need for more investment in rail infrastructure, here's a quick audio snapshot of this week's ag news — the TWORA podcast for February 19th, 2015: Mentions: CFIA Investigation Unveils Birthdate of Alberta BSE Case Corn School: My Standing Corn is Turning Black — Is... Read More
Category: Canadian Agricultural Policy
Update — Sunday, February 15th: The CFIA says South Korea has suspended imports of Canadian beef, pending further information on the confirmed BSE find. Almost 12 years after the first discovery of BSE in a domestic cow, headlines containing the acronym for the fatal neurological disease in cattle still touch a nerve among Canadian cattle... Read More
In Alberta, regulations require premises identification (PID) became law under the Animal Health Act on January 1, 2009. It is thus mandatory for livestock and poultry to be associated with a PID account. It’s part of a full traceability system aimed at improving disease and emergency response. Related: Alberta Beef Producers Proposes an Additional, Non-Refundable... Read More
There are signs the long-running dispute over U.S. mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) rules for meat is moving closer to resolution, as a Canadian delegation led by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz visited Washington, DC. this week. “COOL is on life support,” Ritz told reporters on a conference call on Thursday afternoon. In what was... Read More
Every year, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture calculates the date by when the average Canadian has earned enough income to pay for their annual grocery bill, and dubs the day “Food Freedom Day.” This year, Food Freedom Day occurs on Friday, February 6th — one day earlier than in 2014. With 2015 being the "International... Read More
As Bill C-18 — The Agricultural Growth Act — makes its way through the parliamentary process, questions linger around what the bill does and doesn’t mean for Canadian farmers. Will the changes to Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights act mean you can you still save seed? Will the adoption of UPOV ’91 make seed more expensive?... Read More
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has published its full comment on the Ontario government's pollinator health proposal — a proposal that singles out neonicotinoid seed treatments of corn and soybean crops as a key factor in pollinator health risks. OFA's response includes four key points, including: the need for and content of a pollinator... Read More
The Canadian canola industry's goal of 26 million tonnes of sustainable production by 2025 got a $19 million boost today with a joint federal and industry funding announcement made during CropSphere 2015. Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was on hand at Saskatoon, Sask., to announce $9.5 million of funding aimed at further market development and... Read More
Today, in Saskatatoon, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced that Pulse Canada will receive an investment of over $3.3 million for projects addressing sustainability, pulse demand and trade. "This Government remains committed to the economy, and our hard-working pulse growers play a vital role in creating jobs and keeping our economy strong.," said Ritz. "We are... Read More
Canadian rail companies' concerns that legislation passed by the federal government in 2014 would open the Western Canadian grain market to "poaching" by U.S. railways appear to be unfounded so far, much to the dismay of farmers and farm organizations hoping for increased competition for Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways. With the passage of... Read More