Livestock
Saskatchewan’s beleaguered hog producers are now eligible for advance payments on their 2009 AgriStability. The provincial and federal governments on Wednesday announced hog farmers in the province can now get Targeted Advance Payments (TAPs) of up to 75 per cent of their estimated AgriStability payment. Eligible producers are to receive a letter with information on […] Read more
TAP funds offered to Sask. hog farmers
Pizza chain partners with beef producers to promote burger
Canadian beef producers are expected to get a boost from a joint-venture promotion that will see a beef burger appear for the first time on a major national pizza chain’s menu. Through its partnership program, the Beef Information Centre (BIC) has partnered with Boston Pizza to launch the chain’s prime rib burger. Made with eight […] Read more
Quebec natural dairy processor gets fed loan
A ground-breaking Quebec-based dairy processor is getting a bit of government help in the form of a repayable loan to acquire new equipment to bolster productivity. Fromagerie L’Ancêtre Inc. will be getting $480,000 in “repayable funding” from Canada Economic Development through a business and regional growth program. Fromagerie L’Ancêtre was founded in 1992 by a […] Read more
Russia now open to Canadian UTM beef
The Russian government has finalized an agreement on a certificate granting immediate market access to Canadian bone-in beef from animals under 30 months old (UTMs). The certificate, which follows through on an agreement in principle negotiated during a June mission by Canada’s International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, comes with an agreement to work toward similar […] Read more
Olymel’s St. Hyacinthe pork plant workers walk
Workers at Quebec meat packer Olymel’s pork processing plant at St. Hyacinthe, Que., walked off the job Friday over the company’s latest contract proposal, Quebec media report. The Quebec farm paper La Terre de Chez Nous said on its website Tuesday that the workers are refusing to accept a proposed four-year pay freeze after taking […] Read more
Researchers make listeria breakthrough, vaccine next step
A team of University of British Columbia microbiologists has identified a key defence mechanism used by the immune system against Listeria with strong implications for the future development of vaccines. Listeria is the bacteria that causes listeriosis, a food-borne infection that caused 22 deaths in Canada in an August 2008 outbreak in meat products produced […] Read more
Editor’s pick: Manitoba Tory MLA calls for Manitoba TB strategy
The Winnipeg Free Press newspaper is reporting that opposition MLA Len Derkach is calling on the province to increase its support to cattle ranchers battling to prevent infected deer and elk from transmitting the disease to their herds. Derkach says ranchers in the area surrounding Riding Mountain National Park have been battling this problem for […] Read more
BIC Sponsors Marinated Beef Demo At Wal-Marts
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Information Centre (BIC) and B.C.’s Donald’s Fine Foods recently promoted their Savoury Choice Marinated beef items at several two-day meat department demos in 21 Wal-Mart Supercentre locations in B.C. and Alberta. BIC says the promotion met with great success, with increased sales for these products averaging 260 per cent. “This was a great […] Read more
Organic Beef Has Moved Mainstream
Reading Time: 3 minutes I was asked by a group to do a research project into the production protocols for organic beef. Thankfully, as of June 30, 2009 the Canadian Organic Standards were implemented, which made the issue of certification easier to understand. Basically, organic certification is now mandatory under the Canadian Organic Standards while CFIA is responsible for […] Read more
Alberta Livestock And Meat Agency Has Its New CEO
Reading Time: 3 minutes “We want to be involved” Gordon Cove is a team player, a partnership kind of guy and, as the new president and CEO of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA), he hopes it rubs off on Alberta’s multi-billion-dollar livestock industry. In an interview, Cove said he wants his organization to always drive forward, but […] Read more
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