Livestock
Quebec’s provincial government has named an independent consultant to review whether the province’s measures since last summer’s listeria-related cheese recalls will meet the industry’s needs. Marketing consultancy Zins Beauchesne and Associates was hired this week and tasked with following up on last week’s recommendations from provincial ombudsman Raymonde St-Germain. Provincial Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard said […] Read more
Que. names expert to review cheese policy
Editors’ Picks: Views mixed on U.S. sow cull
A proposal by a U.S. hog producers’ group to pool funds for a voluntary cull of breeding sows is meeting with mixed reactions. U.S. hog farmers have begun facing losses over about the last year and a half, following almost three and a half years of profitability. A proposal unveiled at the recent World Pork […] Read more
Ont. eyes setbacks for renewable energy sites
As part of its proposal for a “one-window” approvals process on renewable energy projects such as wind farms and biogas/biomass power, Ontario is weighing new requirements on setbacks for such projects. The province said in a release Tuesday that it will seek public input on its proposed approval requirements, making plans for six information meetings […] Read more
Horse litter pelleting plant gets federal loan
A federal economic development initiative will put up a repayable $750,000 contribution for a Quebec facility making wood pellets for the horse litter and home heating markets. Granulco’s plant is expected to employ 12 people once its $4 million project is complete at Sacre-Coeur, about 110 km east of Chicoutimi. “To capitalize on this growing […] Read more
Efforts continue toward Sask. hog packing plant
(Resource News International) — The chairman of the Saskatchewan Slaughter Plant Initiative says the group is continuing efforts to move ahead with plans to build a 650,000-head per year hog slaughter plant in Saskatchewan and have it operational by this fall. “We are at a critical stage in which some very detailed negotiations are currently […] Read more
Earlier dose allowed for circovirus vaccine
Piglets may now receive a shot of Suvaxyn against porcine circovirus type 2 at three weeks of age, down from four. Wyeth Animal Health announced Tuesday that it has updated the label for its vaccine product. “The sooner producers are able to begin protecting young pigs from PCV2, the better the chances for overall herd […] Read more
Not all cheering for new Man. beef plant
(Resource News International) — The addition of Keystone Processors to the small Manitoba beef market has ruffled the feathers of some of the province’s existing packers and processors and highlighted the industry’s need for federal funding support. Keystone Processors Ltd. opened March 10 at the old Maple Leaf Foods facility on Marion Street in Winnipeg. […] Read more
N.S. ag minister among defeated Tories
The New Democrats’ majority win in Nova Scotia’s provincial election Tuesday has claimed the agriculture minister among many others in Tory Premier Rodney MacDonald’s cabinet. Agriculture Minister Mark Parent lost the Kings North riding, considered the largest agricultural riding in the province, to NDP candidate Jim Morton Tuesday night. Morton, who was born and raised […] Read more
Olymel/Westco poultry plant clears regulator
New Brunswick poultry firm Groupe Westco and Quebec’s Olymel have cleared a regulatory hurdle on their way to build a new $30 million poultry slaughter plant in northwestern New Brunswick. The two companies said in a release Tuesday that they will report on the project’s progress “in the next few weeks,” but for now say […] Read more
Feds back B.C. grassland restoration, weed control
Plans to restore grasslands in the Cranbrook area and control and contain invasive plants are among the projects in British Columbia sharing $5.5 million in federal Community Adjustment Fund cash. The CAF money, announced Monday, includes $3.415 million in federal contributions toward a $6.83 million invasive plant control project across “multiple B.C. communities.” The invasive […] Read more
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