Livestock

British Columbia expects to be able to turn around tests more quickly at a new containment lab, for swifter response to livestock diseases. The provincial government on Thursday opened its $14 million containment-level 3 (CL3) lab in the Fraser Valley. The CL3 lab is to be used to detect and characterize animal diseases such as […] Read more

Two certified organic dairy farms in Manitoba have launched their product to grocery stores in the province. Guelph, Ont.-based organic co-op Organic Meadow is working with processor Notre Dame Creamery at Notre Dame de Lourdes, about 70 km southwest of Portage la Prairie, Man., to process and distribute the milk to natural-food and mainline grocery […] Read more

Canada has no record of taking in direct shipments of pork, pork products or feed from Ireland in the midst of a major meat recall there. That’s according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which said in a statement Tuesday it is monitoring a recall by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) of all […] Read more

Manitoba expects to restore over 2,500 acres of lost wetlands on up to 150 farms by 2012 through a new $2 million incentive program for farmers and other landowners. The wetland restoration initiative program, announced Tuesday by provincial Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick, will provide one-time payments for landowners if they sign a conservation agreement […] Read more

A revised draft text aimed at jump-starting the World Trade Organization’s repeatedly-stalled Doha round of agricultural trade talks still contains points of “very serious concerns” for Canada and its supply-managed industries. The draft modalities text, released Saturday by the WTO ag talks’ chairman, New Zealand ambassador Crawford Falconer, marks the fourth revision of negotiating documents […] Read more

It’s no secret that this summer’s deadly listeriosis outbreak was costly for several Canadian food companies, but a consumer survey now shows how deeply it dug into consumer confidence and buying choices. Researchers at the University of Guelph turned to the Guelph Food Panel, a group of 2,000 people in the Guelph, Ont. area who […] Read more

Nova Scotia’s government has set up a fund to support development of “local food” systems. The province will provide $2.3 million over three years to fund “strategic infrastructure” and development initiatives that “enhance industry competitiveness, market access and direct marketing methods.” “This funding will develop the roots between rural and urban food systems, and support […] Read more

A planned beef processing plant in the St. Boniface area of Winnipeg has picked a new name and reorganized its ownership structure before its expected opening next year. The facility, formerly a Maple Leaf Foods pork processing plant, is expected to begin processing for the Manitoba market in early 2009 as Keystone Processors Ltd. Keystone’s […] Read more

Alberta’s farm financing agency plans to roll out a first-in-Canada price insurance plan for the province’s cattle producers as early as mid-2009. Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC), which already runs the province’s crop insurance programs, said Alberta beef producers will be the first among the province’s livestock sectors to access such insurance.