Charles Baron and partners brought FBN to Canada in 2018 when it bought Saskatchewan-based Yorkton Distributors. (FBN video screengrab via YouTube)

Competition Bureau probing big ag chem companies

Probe to look at firms' response to FBN's arrival in Canada

Reuters — The Canadian Competition Bureau said on Thursday it was investigating certain agriculture companies for alleged anticompetitive practices over allegations of trying to block an online farm-supply startup from doing business in Western Canada. The regulator did not provide details on specific companies involved in the probe, but documents filed on Jan. 30 in […] Read more






(FITTrials.com)

P+H to challenge regulators’ request for elevator sale

Case to be heard sometime at later end of fall

Grain firm Parrish and Heimbecker aims to keep its now-expanded Prairie elevator network intact against a proposed order from federal antitrust regulators. Winnipeg-based, privately-held P+H in September announced a deal to buy all 10 of the primary Prairie grain elevators built by agrifood giant Louis Dreyfus Co. between 1998 and 2003. The two companies have […] Read more

A woman samples a plant-based meat product by Whole Perfect Food (a Chinese competitor to Beyond Meat) at the VeggieWorld fair in Beijing in November. Plant-based foods are on the rise but so is meat in the world’s most populous regions, says food trend guru David Hughes.

Expect to hear a lot more about fake meat, eco-foods, and urban consumers

It’s a fast-changing world but Prairie farmers are in a good spot, says food trend guru

Reading Time: 3 minutes More focus on the environment, more plant-based meat alternatives and more scrutiny of food production. That’s what lies in the crystal ball of David Hughes, an international speaker on global food industry trends. At a recent event hosted by the Plant Protein Alliance of Alberta, Hughes laid out a number of points that could be […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Bayer considers new tactic in Roundup settlement talks

Reuters — As Bayer tries to settle U.S. lawsuits claiming that its Roundup herbicide causes cancer, the company is considering a proposal that would bar plaintiffs’ lawyers involved in the litigation from advertising for new clients, according to a person familiar with the matter. Bayer has said it is engaged in mediation to resolve the […] Read more

Farmers dump bags of corn grain in front of the Papineau riding office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal, as they protest the lack of propane due to the CN strike, on Nov. 25, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Christinne Muschi)

CN conductors approve post-strike deal

Canadian National Railway’s conductors and yard workers have voted for at least another two and a half years of labour peace with the company. The affected employees, members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, voted 91.3 per cent to ratify a three-year contract with CN, retroactive to last July 23, the union said in a […] Read more