TPP deal near resolution, Japan says

Atlanta | Reuters — Japan’s Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Friday negotiators were close to reaching a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal, citing progress on the remaining issues involving autos, dairy products and intellectual property protections for expensive biologic drugs. Amari, who spoke to reporters before a meeting of the 12 trade ministers represented in […] Read more

TPP trade ministers, shown here in July in Maui, have meetings in Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday. (USTR.gov)

TPP trade ministers push to wrap up ambitious trade deal

Atlanta | Reuters — Pacific trade ministers readied on Wednesday to close the biggest trade deal in a generation but warned there was still work to be done on issues ranging from intellectual property to trade in dairy and automobiles. Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb said ministers from the 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership […] Read more


Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, shown here in February in Brampton, Ont., said farmers and processors would be “compensated” for losses incurred through any increased market access granted under a TPP deal. (Agr.gc.ca)

Canada to pay farmers for any losses under TPP deal, Ritz says

Reuters — Canadian farmers will receive government compensation for any losses resulting from a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, the country’s agriculture minister said Wednesday in a discussion about the nation’s protected farm sectors. The U.S., New Zealand and Australia want Canada to start dismantling a system of supply and import controls over dairy, poultry […] Read more



Protect supply management, says Alberta Milk chair

Protect supply management, says Alberta Milk chair

Farm Vote: Tom Kootstra says critics of supply management don’t understand there’s no free market in milk

Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s dairy industry needs Ottawa to fight for supply management, says the chair of Alberta Milk. “The biggest issue is continued support for our unique production model — supply management — and the potential impact that a trade deal could have on our system,” said Tom Kootstra. That means going to bat for supply management […] Read more



Culicoides sonorensis. (Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Livestock seen threatened as biting insects press north

Bluetongue’s most recent appearance in the Canadian cattle herd may be a taste of what’s to come as insect species expand northward, a new study warns. Anna Zuliani, previously a graduate student in veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary (UCVM), recently published a paper on how geographical distribution of biting midges relates to the […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Yukon to help cover livestock vets’ travel costs

The Yukon government has launched a pilot program to help cover veterinarians’ travel and service expenses for farm calls. The territory government on Tuesday announced it will accept up to 30 farmers for the pilot of the Veterinary Services Program, running from now to the end of March 2016. The program will reimburse participating veterinarians […] Read more