Enforcement of new federal rules for livestock transport, due to take effect Feb. 20, will focus on handler education and awareness for the first two years — and across all affected livestock species, not just cattle. The now-amended Humane Transportation of Animals regulations are meant to focus on the time frames during which animals are […] Read more
New livestock transport rules include grace period for all sectors
Fictional nation Wakanda removed from USDA trade list
Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it removed the fictional country of Wakanda from an online list of nations that have free trade agreements with the United States on Thursday. The Kingdom of Wakanda is the home of Black Panther, the Marvel superhero, and is portrayed in comic books and the 2018 […] Read more
What we can do to address the shortage of large-animal vets
More spots in veterinary schools and more support for new grads would go a long way
Reading Time: 4 minutes After talking with large-animal veterinarians, observing the number of ads for large-animal veterinarians, and taking part in a job fair at the University of Calgary’s vet school, it’s clear that there is getting to be a real shortage of veterinarians wanting to do either mixed- or large-animal practice in Western Canada. But strategies are starting […] Read more
Keep your Premises Identification account up to date
Premises ID has proved its worth since being created 11 years ago
Reading Time: < 1 minute The province is urging smaller operations with livestock (such as hobby farms and acreages) to register for the Premises Identification (PID) System and for all operations to keep their account information current. Since it was started 11 years ago, more than 45,500 premises have been registered with the system, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry said in […] Read more
New grazing lease plan a win for producers, say cattle groups
The groups feared long-frozen rental rates would be seen as a subsidy and lead to a countervailing duty
Reading Time: 3 minutes Grazing leases are about to change for the first time since 1994 after years of work by Alberta Beef Producers and the seven grazing lease associations in the province. The quarter-century-old system could have attracted potential tariffs on Canadian cattle, so the changes were necessary, said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “The […] Read more
Angry farmers cause Dutch police to close off parliament square
The Hague | Reuters — Police in the Dutch city of The Hague closed its central parliament square on Wednesday to keep out farmers protesting over what they see as attempts to blame them for nitrogen pollution. Thousands of irate farmers had driven tractors to The Hague hours earlier in their third large protest in […] Read more
Review of red meat’s risks spurs scientific food fight
London | Reuters — Cutting back on red and processed meat brings few if any health benefits, according to a review of studies involving millions of people, a finding that contradicts dietary advice of leading international agencies and raised immediate objections from many health experts. Most people can continue to eat red and processed meat […] Read more
Alberta to lift residency rule for public grazing lands
The Alberta government plans to remove a restriction on non-Albertans’ use of public lands for grazing, in a bid to smooth out paths for interprovincial trade. The province on Saturday announced it will do away with eight of its declared exceptions under the interprovincial Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). Of the eight, three deal with […] Read more
More lamb being imported into Canada
Reading Time: < 1 minute More lamb is being imported because there’s less Canadian product coming to market, says a provincial livestock market analyst. While slaughter rates in federally inspected plants in Western Canada are up nearly 13 per cent this year, they’re down in Eastern Canada as well as in provincial plants in both the East and the West. […] Read more
As Amazon burns, Bolsonaro tells rest of world not to interfere
Brasilia/Sao Paulo | Reuters — Amid growing international criticism over wildfires raging through the Amazon, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday admitted farmers could be illegally setting the rainforest alight but told foreign powers not to interfere. French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres both took to Twitter to express their […] Read more