Nova Scotia’s government is considering adding a “modest” environmental fee on the sale of new farm tractor tires, as part of a broader plan to cut back the amount of junk now headed to landfills. In a discussion paper released Tuesday on solid waste regulation, the province suggests expanding its current regulatory definition of “tires” […] Read more
N.S. eyes environmental fee for tractor tires
Bimbo’s Canada Bread takeover gets federal approval
Mexican bakery giant Grupo Bimbo’s proposed takeover of Canada Bread is expected to close as planned on May 23 after clearing its last regulatory hurdle. The Toronto company, 90 per cent owned by processor Maple Leaf Foods, announced Tuesday that Bimbo’s bid has passed federal review under the Investment Canada Act. Such a review is […] Read more
Pests starting to emerge after cool spring
Reading Time: < 1 minute Spring’s late arrival has caused all kinds of grief for farmers, but their insect foes take it all in stride. Pests such as the pea leaf weevil benefit from something called “facultative diapause,” provincial insect specialist Scott Meers tweeted during the May 7 edition of #ABbugchat. “Which is a fancy word for if it’s cold […] Read more
PEDv found in hogs on second SE Manitoba farm
A finisher operation in Manitoba’s livestock-intensive southeast has been confirmed as the second farm in the province to host hogs with porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). According to the office of Manitoba’s provincial chief veterinary officer (CVO), the new case was identified while the CVO was investigating a PED-positive sample from an unnamed “high-traffic site.” The […] Read more
Feds won’t back national pullet marketing agency
The federal government has found the case for a national pullet marketing agency “not compelling” enough to grant the wish of a nationwide pullet producers’ group. A spokesperson for federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz confirmed Wednesday that Ritz had reviewed the report and recommendations of the Farm Products Council of Canada (FPCC) on the application […] Read more
Toronto’s Quality Meat Packers officially bankrupt
One of the last remnants of Toronto’s “Hogtown” past has formally gone bankrupt, in a move expected to permanently close the doors and strip out the assets at Quality Meat Packers and its Toronto Abattoirs arm. The two pork-packing and -processing companies in early April filed a notice of intention for a proposal to restructure […] Read more
New co-ordinator for Verified Beef Production program
Reading Time: < 1 minute Shannon Argent of Cremona is the new provincial co-ordinator for the national Verified Beef Production (VBP) program in Alberta. Argent will be managing education and on-farm audit services for cow-calf and feedlot producers participating in the national beef on-farm food safety program. Formerly an animal health technician, Argent has also worked in both the genetics […] Read more
BQ ag critic officially seeking party leadership
Bloc Quebecois MP Andre Bellavance, the party’s ag critic and a former vice-chair of the Commons agriculture committee, is officially in the running for the party’s leadership. Bellavance, 49, a former radio journalist, has been the MP for the riding of Richmond-Arthabaska and the Bloc’s caucus vice-chair since 2004. He’s served as the party’s critic […] Read more
Fixing the system will take more than blame
Reading Time: < 1 minute I would suggest the federal government could save about $3 million just by reading Laura Rance’s article in the April 14 edition of Alberta Farmer (‘Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act — much ado about not much’). I would further suggest that one sentence of that article should be highlighted for members of this government […] Read more
Feds’ grain freight legislation heads to Senate
UPDATED, May 30, 2014: The federal government’s legislative package to tighten the terms of grain freight service agreements between shippers and railways has cleared the House of Commons. Bill C-30, the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act, was delayed last Thursday due to an amendment which Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer ruled out of order. [Related […] Read more
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