Reading Time: 3 minutes A troubling trend is creeping up on global farmers as governments control food production and eliminate crop diversity. In China, “non-grain” farming has become the target of the Rural Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Brigade, or nongguan, which exercises agricultural administrative penalties and related inspections for the Agriculture and Rural Development ministries. The areas that farmers […] Read more
Schoepp: Forced farming
Autocratic regimes seem hell-bent on returning to the scary past by implementing planned agriculture
B.C. longshore workers resume strike
Union caucus rejects federal mediator's proposed deal
The union representing longshore workers at Canada’s West Coast ports said its members would return to the picket line Tuesday afternoon after union leaders decided to reject a proposed agreement. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), which represents about 7,400 longshore workers at various Vancouver and Prince Rupert port facilities, said Tuesday afternoon […] Read more
B.C. waterfront work to resume ‘as soon as possible’
BCMEA, ILWU reach tentative four-year deal
Striking longshore workers and their management are “finalizing details” for work to resume at Canada’s West Coast ports after a tentative deal was reached Thursday. The B.C. Maritime Employers Association said in a release Thursday morning it had reached a tentative pact with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada) on a new four-year […] Read more
Brazil’s JBS reboots plan to list shares in New York
International meat packer hopes for access to lower-cost capital
Sao Paulo | Reuters — JBS SA, the world’s largest meat packer, on Wednesday proposed listing its shares in New York, hoping the move will bring its multiples closer to peers and that a broader investor base will give it more access to cheaper capital, sending its shares up eight per cent in mid-morning trade. […] Read more
Feds to propose terms to settle B.C. ports strike
Labour minister asks mediator to draft a deal
In the hope of ending a longshore workers’ strike at British Columbia’s ports, Canada’s labour minister plans to put forward a recommendation for a settlement to break a stalemate between union and management. In a statement at about 9:30 CT Tuesday evening, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said he had asked the senior federal mediator in […] Read more
Intergovernmental collaboration key to Canada’s agricultural sustainability
Differing regional priorities often complicate collaborative climate efforts in agriculture sector
Reading Time: 4 minutes Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) government collaboration is vital to the future of Canada’s agriculture sector, said panelists at a May 31 webinar. Organized by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, the webinar focused on a report by University of Toronto professor Grace Skogstad entitled Towards a Collaborative Sustainable Agriculture Strategy for Canada. Skogstad opened the […] Read more
The meat of the matter: Another way to look at environmental metrics
Protein density and ecosystem impacts make meat competitive with grains, says researchers
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – When attempting to get an accurate gauge of global food security and protein sufficiency, metrics matter. The food sufficiency metric must reflect what each type of food production supplies, including environmental benefits, social structures or sustainability credentials, said Vaughn Holder, ruminant research director with Kentucky-based nutrition company Alltech. “The metrics are important […] Read more
Schoepp: Tiny Singapore can teach Canada about food security
With almost no arable land, the country takes a high-tech approach to feeding its people
Reading Time: 3 minutes Will rooftop farming address food insecurity? Likely not, but the trend continues to grow in large urban centres and land-starved countries as the cost of food skyrockets and accessibility declines. Fellow Nuffield Scholar Jodie Mitchell sent a post from a rooftop garden in Singapore that supplied food for the hotel it was built upon. This […] Read more
Adjournments put off ag bills to September at earliest
Farm fuel, supply management, produce trust bills on hold
Federal private members’ bills with potential significant weight for Canada’s grain, livestock, dairy, poultry, egg, fruit and vegetable producers are now on hold until mid-September at least. Members of the House of Commons voted June 21 to adjourn until Sept. 18, while the Senate did likewise June 22, to return Sept. 19. While the two […] Read more
U.S. regulator allows first sales of lab-grown meat
Products to go first to high-end restaurants
Washington | Reuters — Two companies, Upside Foods and Good Meat, said on Wednesday they have received final U.S. Department of Agriculture approval to sell lab-grown meat, paving the way for the nation’s first-ever sales of the product. With the approvals, the U.S. will become the second country after Singapore to allow the sale of […] Read more