Canadian, U.S. and Mexican livestock producer and processor groups, seeking an injunction to block the U.S. government’s latest version of its country-of-origin labelling (COOL) rule, won’t get it from their latest appeal. The U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia circuit, on Friday affirmed a U.S. District Court ruling last September which rejected the injunction […] Read more
U.S. appeal court won’t block COOL for livestock groups
Sulfonylurea-tolerant canola eyed for 2016 launch
A U.S. genetics firm has picked up Canadian approval for a trait it plans to use to breed non-genetically modified canola tolerant to sulfonylurea herbicides. San Diego-based Cibus Global last week announced plant novel trait (PNT) approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada for its product, which it’s branded as SU Canola. […] Read more
Ontario court dismisses raw-milk appeal
An Ontario dairyman’s long-fought legal scrap to be able to distribute unpasteurized (“raw”) milk has hit another wall — this time a dismissal by Ontario’s Court of Appeal. The decision, released Tuesday, upholds a September 2011 decision from the provincial Court of Justice against raw-milk advocate Michael Schmidt. [Related story] The 2011 ruling overturned previous […] Read more
PEDv confirmed in Manitoba, suspected in P.E.I.
The piglet-killing porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is now suspected to have reached Canadian hog farms in three provinces. The Manitoba government and Manitoba Pork Council on Friday reported the virus is now confirmed in hogs at a wean-to-finish operation in the province’s southeast, a region known for intensive livestock production and considered to be […] Read more
More detailed data sought on railways’ Prairie grain traffic
Federally-mandated reporting on grain traffic on Canada’s two main railways is now expected to show the flow on a weekly rather than monthly basis. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz dropped into Winnipeg Monday for meetings with members of the industry-led Crop Logistics Working Group (CLWG) and accepted a number of its “early recommendations” on improvements to […] Read more
Decision time for cattle tag dealers as CCIA reboots distribution
Your local retailer of CCIA-approved cattle tags has until the end of this week to decide whether to continue selling under a new dealer agreement starting Monday. Previous agreements, under which local veterinary offices and other eligible retailers have sold CCIA (Canadian Cattle Identification Agency) radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to producers, are terminated effective Feb. […] Read more
PED virus hits second SW Ont. hog farm
Now also suspected on third farm; industry launches task force “The reality has changed” for Ontario’s hog industry with a second, and possibly third, case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus now found in the Chatham-Kent area. “Since the virus is highly contagious, its presence in Canada is not unexpected and more cases are expected in […] Read more
Piglet diarrhea virus confirmed on Ont. hog farm
Federal and provincial officials have confirmed the arrival of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) on a hog farm in southwestern Ontario’s Middlesex County. “We’ve suspected this day may come…and we’re working with stakeholders across Canada to stay on top of this,” Dr. Greg Douglas, Ontario’s chief veterinary officer, told a media conference call Thursday. […] Read more
Piglet diarrhea virus confirmed on Ont. hog farm
Virus also found on swab at Que. pork plant unloading dock Federal and provincial officials have confirmed the arrival of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) on a hog farm in southwestern Ontario’s Middlesex County. “We’ve suspected this day may come…and we’re working with stakeholders across Canada to stay on top of this,” Dr. Greg […] Read more
Ottawa plugs ‘pizza kit’ hole in cheese tariff wall
Canadian importers of “pizza kits” of shredded mozzarella and sliced pepperoni from the U.S. will now have to eat a heavier tariff on that mozza. The federal government on Nov. 22 quietly passed a ways-and-means motion clarifying the tariff classification on “pizza topping food preparations,” otherwise known as “pizza kits,” as used by some pizza […] Read more