Cannabis
Colony losses to worsen if feds don’t nix neonics swiftly
We can no longer ignore the harmful effects of pesticide exposure on pollinator health. Last year, beekeepers in Ontario and Quebec suffered record overwinter colony losses: 45.7 per cent in Ontario and 30.3 per cent in Quebec. These colony losses far surpass the 20 per cent threshold beekeepers considered sustainable. Beekeepers in Ontario and Quebec […]
USMCA IP provisions make for uneven playing field for Canadian, U.S. farmers
Farmers in North America generally did well in the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). But there is one nasty surprise buried in the agreement that should unite all Canadian farmers—intellectual property rules that prevent circumvention of digital locks on electronics including sophisticated farm equipment like tractors and combines that will apply to Canadian, but not to […]
Canada’s agriculture system on the cusp of a circular revolution
The Canadian agri-food system is one of our best-kept secrets. It is one of our largest employers and is responsible for tens of billions of dollars in exports. It is an engine of economic growth and it means most Canadians spend only 10 per cent of their income on food. The food system also is […]
Milestone MacAulay: minister marks 30 straight years as an MP
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay is celebrating a rare parliamentary milestone this month—one that only 26 other known MPs in Canada’s 151-year history have reached. On Nov. 21, the Liberal MP will reach 30 consecutive years as a sitting MP without having lost his seat. First elected on that day in the 1988 general election, the representative […]
Canada’s soils are in crisis
Healthy soil is the heart of our food system and, by every conceivable measure, we are making our soil sick. In Ontario, soil organic matter—a key determinant of soil health—is now decreasing on 82 per cent of farmland. Since 1948, the soil organic matter in Essex County, in the province’s far south, has declined by […]
MacAulay eyes ‘growth package’ for USMCA-affected farmers to be in place before deal’s ratified
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay says supply-managed farmers affected by the new USMCA agreement will be provided a “growth package,” and wants the program to be in place before the tri-lateral agreement is approved by the American and Mexican governments. In a telephone interview with The Hill Times last week, the veteran Liberal MP from Prince […]
How the Senate is supporting Canadians in supply managed agricultural sectors in relation to USMCA, CPTPP
The recent agreement by Canada, the United States, and Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will change Canadian agriculture. Many farmers will see benefits related to decreased trade barriers between the three countries. However, for farmers and processors involved in supply managed agricultural sectors involving dairy, poultry, […]
Two working groups to be set up to address dairy subsidies and the sector’s future
Successive trade deals have left the Canadian dairy sector fearing the country’s dairy market is being used as a bargaining chip, and in response, the Canadian government has announced the launch of two working groups, in partnership with dairy interest groups, to assess the sector’s future. International competitors have gained about 10 per cent of […]
Risky business: debt in modern agriculture
Canadian farmers are facing serious problems—like extraordinary debt loads, mental health woes and unusually bad harvests in the Prairies—that are encroaching on the sector as a whole. While some of these problems are as old as the industry itself, there are recent shifts that may have far-reaching implications. These issues are bearing down just as […]
