Legislative amendments that would exempt farmers’ eligible purchases of natural gas and propane from federal carbon pricing are now en route to Canada’s Senate. Bill C-234, a private member’s bill sponsored by Ben Lobb, the Conservative MP for the southern Ontario riding of Huron-Bruce, passed third reading for adoption in the House of Commons on […] Read more
Carbon price exemption for farm gas clears Commons
Bill C-234 next headed to Senate
Interest-free cash advances get extra lift in federal budget
Fertilizer diversification, solids non-fat processing also up for funding
Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s latest budget envelope for Canadian farmers up against rising costs of production includes a temporary boost to the interest-free portion of cash advances. Freeland’s 2023 federal budget, released Tuesday, includes $13 million in 2023-24 for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to temporarily increase the interest-free limit for loans under its Advance […] Read more
Food sales grew but margins tightened in 2022, FCC says
Modest further growth expected this year
Food and beverages sales increased in Canada last year, even as margins hit an historic low and consumers chose Canadian less. According to the latest FCC Food and Beverage Report, released Tuesday, sales increased 11 per cent to $156 billion in 2022. These gains came largely from higher export values and strength in the grain […] Read more
CFIA seeks feedback on traceability, animal ID amendments
Producers have until June 16 to comment on proposals
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is now seeking comment on its proposed amendments to livestock identification and traceability regulations. The regulatory proposal would address what the agency calls “gaps” in the current system, including: adding goats and cervids as animal species that share diseases with other regulated livestock, and therefore subject to traceability requirements, shortening […] Read more
It’s been 25 years of livestock traceability
On the right track: Tracking livestock is now pretty conventional, but it wasn’t always — and still isn’t in some countries
Reading Time: 3 minutes It was groundbreaking in its day, but 25 years later — and well over 100 million ear tags —it’s hard to imagine the days when there was no livestock traceability. “It’s an everyday thing now — resistance is minimal,” said Anne Brunet-Burgess, general manager of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency. The organization held its first […] Read more
Crop, livestock prices offset reduced marketings in 2022
StatCan data on farm cash receipts tracks recovery off 2021 drought
New full-year data on Canada’s farm cash receipts in calendar 2022 show how increased commodity prices last year more than offset the drop in quantities sold. Statistics Canada on Tuesday released figures showing Canadian farm cash receipts in 2022 at $94.9 billion, up 14.1 per cent from 2021, including crop receipts of $53.9 billion (also […] Read more
Inventive distillery turns waste milk product into vodka
Distilling process key to a sustainable dairy value chain
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – After turning “unused milk sugar” into a popular line-up of vodka and cream liquors, Ontario’s Dairy Distillery has achieved another milestone — carbon neutral production. The Ottawa-area maker of Vodkow is already well known to many Albertans as the province is the company’s second biggest market after Ontario. It makes vodka from […] Read more
Bill to keep supply management off trade table moving forward
CCA, other groups oppose proposal as Bloc MP's private bill passes second reading
A federal private member’s bill that would codify the current government’s promise to leave supply-managed ag commodities out of any future free trade deals has advanced to the committee stage. Introduced last June 13 by Bloc Quebecois MP Luc Theriault, Bill C-282 came back last Wednesday to pass second reading in the House of Commons […] Read more
Feds appoint new deputy ag minister, CFIA chief
Eleven senior civil servants shuffled
Canada’s government has lined up a new federal deputy minister for agriculture and a new president for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, both to take office later this month. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a shuffle in the top ranks of the public service involving 11 senior managers following four recent retirements. Associate […] Read more
New U.S. ag trade chief demands Canada broaden dairy quota access
USTR's new ag rep's eyes also on Mexico GM corn ban
Washington | Reuters — Canada must let U.S. processors of cheese, ice cream, yogurt, milk powder and other dairy products have access to its import quotas to resolve a second U.S. dairy trade challenge, Washington’s new agricultural trade boss told Reuters. Doug McKalip, chief agricultural trade negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, told Reuters […] Read more
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