Blanket claims cloud conversation on meat taxes: Cattlemen’s Association
There has been a lot of rhetoric in the media recently about meat taxes with the inference that eating less meat will reduce ones’ carbon footprint. Unfortunately, balance and context are often absent from this complex discussion, particularly around the Canadian agricultural environment, which is unique in the world. For example, cattle grazing supports the […]
Where’s the beef? Industry stakeholders cry foul over Health Canada food guide freeze-out
Industry groups shut out of in-person consultations with Health Canada in its current effort to overhaul Canada’s Food Guide have delivered their concerns—and their own set of potentially competing goals—to politicians and other federal departments. Health Canada declared in 2016 that it would not meet one-on-one with industry groups while revamping its food guidelines because […]
We should tax meat and subsidize fruits and vegetables
Nothing elicits grumbles quite like talking about taxes. Governments around the world tax income, carbon, alcohol, tobacco, sugar, houses, inheritances, even saturated fat. And these taxes can be not insignificant; in Canada, for example, 35 per cent of the pump price for gas is tax. If a group of investors managing trillions of dollars is […]
Canada needs to adopt Blockchain technology to meet ambitious agriculture and food goals
In February, Dominic Barton and the Advisory Committee on Economic Growth set an audacious goal for the country. To become the world’s trusted supplier of safe sustainable food for the 21st century and in doing so double our agri-food exports. The aspiration to market our food as “safe and sustainable” took a beating in August […]
Deep bench bolsters NAFTA trade team facing ‘unworkable’ U.S. demands
As Canada rejects what its chief NAFTA negotiator calls “entirely unworkable” U.S. proposals, a deep bench is working around the clock to keep the tripartite agreement alive. After appearing before the House Trade Committee Monday, Steve Verheul said Canada has yet to offer a counterproposal on American demands some consider “poison pills”—among them attacking supply […]
Supply management keeps ‘family farming’ alive in Canada
Renegotiating NAFTA is not a simple task, and the potential effects of such an important trade agreement go far beyond what we hear in the news. While Canadian, American and Mexican farmers have commonly asked our governments to “do no harm” when it comes to our industries—a position that has since then been adopted by […]
Canada positioned to lead charge in global fight for food security
As the earth adapts to emerging challenges that threaten our food supply, it is clear we need to put together a comprehensive and proactive plan that will ensure food security for years to come. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations defines food security as “when all people, at all times, have […]
TPP to fix Canada’s beef with Japan’s tariffs
For Canadian beef exporters, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is about Japan—a deal the Canadian Meat Council says could increase Canadian beef exports by $200-million annually to the country. This would take the export revenues from the $100-million seen in the early 2010s to between $300-million and $400-million, according to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). This comes […]
Advocates lukewarm on Canadian Agricultural Partnership; don’t see major change from Ottawa
The upcoming Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a “small step in the right direction” with the potential to improve on the latest national agricultural policy framework, but more cross-departmental collaboration is needed, according to the head of Canada’s largest farmers advocacy group. Ron Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said he was impressed with CAP’s […]
Asia: farming’s new frontier
Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector brings jobs, high-quality food, and economic growth to Canadians. “From gate to plate,” farmers and food processors generate more than $62-billion of our exports, employ more Canadians than any other manufacturing industry in the country, and bring innovative, high-quality food to Canadians’ dinner plates every day. At the foundation of […]
