Agri-industry still fighting U.S. Farm Bill, but others say best bets are lower dollar, new markets
While some experts consider it a lost cause, the Canadian agriculture industry is still pushing back against American country-of-origin labelling regulations after the U.S. Farm Bill passed into law in February. With a U.S. constitutional challenge back on the docket, originally launched by a group of American and Canadian meat industry associations, and ongoing […]
Trade delegation to Korea seeks to get Canadian meat back in the game
Canada’s agriculture minister is hailing a trade mission he led to South Korea and Japan as a success that secured commitments for increased agricultural sales to those countries. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) extolled the benefits of a three-day delegation that ended April 16, which included a cooking demonstration for a number of […]
Honeybee colonies disappearing at an alarming rate
The Standing Senate Agriculture and Forestry committee is presently pursuing two studies: one on research and innovation efforts in the agriculture and agri-food sector and the other on the importance of bees and bee health in the production of honey, food and seed in Canada. The members of the committee are committed to promoting […]
Climate change has a large impact on agriculture
There are many topical issues that impact Canadian farmers. The looming threat to supply management posed by the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with the EU, the threat to seed-saving embedded in the Plant Breeders Rights Bill C-18, the crisis created by the shortage of rail cars to […]
Fair Rail Freight Service Act is a failure
The agriculture industry is an important economic driver in Canada, supporting farmers themselves, suppliers, food processors, and all other stakeholders in the food industry. Grains are a big part of our agriculture industry with 15 million hectares of wheat, barley, oats, and rye grown by farmers in fields right across this country just last […]
Bill C-30 a missed opportunity to take real action for farmers
The Conservative government missed an important opportunity to make real improvements for farmers in their response to the grain transportation crisis, which dragged on for more than five months and cost producers billions of dollars. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz spent weeks promising farmers new legislation with “sharp teeth.” But despite these assurances, Bill C-30 […]
It’s full steam ahead for Canadian agriculture
Over the next few weeks, farmers across Canada will head to the fields for spring seeding. In doing so, they will not only grow their crops; they will grow Canada’s economy. Our hard-working agriculture, food and seafood producers and processors generate close to seven per cent of Canada’s GDP and nearly $100-billion in annual […]
New DM should focus on trade infrastructure, not just deals: CFA
A new deputy minister at the Department of Agriculture fits the government’s focus on international trade, but the incoming top bureaucrat should focus more on the infrastructure to take advantage of newly-opened markets, one industry stakeholder says. The government announced April 11 that Andrea Lyon will replace Suzanne Vinet as deputy minister of Agriculture and […]
Feds’ emergency grain transport legislation short-term solution, say critics
The government’s emergency legislation to ease a grain backlog in the Prairies that’s costing western Canadian farmers billions is expected to pass through the House later this month, but critics say it’s at best a short-term solution that doesn’t address fundamental problems. Liberal agriculture critic Mark Eyking (Sydney-Victoria, N.S.) said the Conservative-majority House Agriculture […]
Feds look to Australia for inspiration on ‘Made in Canada’ marketing campaign
The feds are looking to Australia for guidance on developing a ‘Made in Canada’ marketing campaign in a move that’s been welcomed by Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector, but establishing the rules and monitoring compliance around a national symbol for Canadian goods will pose major policy hurdles for the feds and the many industries […]
