Brussels | Reuters –– The European Commissioner in charge of food safety has called for a meeting of ministers and national regulatory agencies to discuss a widespread European contamination scare, which has seen shops remove millions of eggs from sale. Tensions have risen between agricultural ministers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany after traces of […] Read more
EU summit sought over major egg contamination scare
Egg production on the rise
CNS Canada – Canadian egg production has risen 4.4 per cent in the past year, according to data released today by Statistics Canada. Canadian egg producers generated 64.5 million dozen eggs from May 2016 to May this year, said StatsCan. Placement of hatchery chicks on farms rose four percent to 65.5 million birds from June […] Read more
Federal government extends food policy discussions
Citing a strong response from across the country, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay has extended the public consultations on a national food policy until Aug. 31. “Canadians’ responses to our online survey show they truly care about food issues. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the extended comment period, and I look forward […] Read more
Canada, Mexico urge quick NAFTA talks to end uncertainty
Washington/Ottawa | Reuters — Top Canadian and Mexican diplomats expressed optimism on Thursday that a NAFTA deal could be reached early next year and cautioned that widespread uncertainty over the future of the three-way trade agreement had slowed business investment. Mexican sources say the plan is to hold seven rounds of talks at three-week intervals, […] Read more
AIM for Hart, Day 2: The road to success, one scoop at a time
I announced yesterday to a couple colleagues who work for the Western Producer, “We are wasting our time and energies writing stories. What idiots. If we want real financial success in life — sell ice cream.” That was my take home message from Day 2 (Wednesday) at the Ag In Motion (AIM) farm show near […] Read more
NAFTA dispute resolution mechanism critical, Canada says
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada believes it is critical for NAFTA to have a dispute resolution mechanism, a senior official said on Tuesday, setting up a potential clash with Washington when talks to renegotiate the pact begin. The U.S. on Monday released its goals for the talks, which aim to update an agreement that came […] Read more
U.S. makes lower trade deficit priority in NAFTA talks
Washington | Reuters — The United States on Monday launched the first salvo in the renegotiation of the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying its top priority for the talks was shrinking the U.S. trade deficit with Canada and Mexico. In a much-anticipated document sent to lawmakers, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said […] Read more
Organic groups call for Ontario regulations
A look at organic regulation across the country by the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA) shows a hodge-podge of support, despite national standards in existence for eight years. In a report released Monday, COTA called out Ontario, the largest market by far for organic products, for having no organic regulations. Five other provinces, including some […] Read more
Hogs seen as key factor in input cost hikes
CNS Canada — Canada’s Farm Input Price Index has climbed slightly for the first quarter of this year. Canada-wide, the index rose 1.3 per cent for the first quarter of this year compared to the final quarter of 2016. When comparing this year’s first quarter to last year’s first quarter, however, input prices in the […] Read more
Pacific trade bloc adds ‘associate’ members, including Canada
Cali, Colombia | Reuters –– Four new countries will be admitted to the Pacific Alliance as associate members, the trade group said on Thursday, as it seeks to expand commerce with the Asia-Pacific region while the U.S. pushes for protectionist measures. The alliance, which comprises Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru, will on Friday admit Singapore, […] Read more