Livestock

The provincial government’s move Monday to halt any further development of the hog sector in much of eastern Manitoba doesn’t go far enough, according to a coalition of groups advocating smaller-scale farming. In a press conference Wednesday in Winnipeg, representatives of groups including HogWatch Manitoba and Beyond Factory Farming called for the provincial government to […] Read more

Nova Scotia’s government plans a $1.9 million round of direct payments to the province’s cattle producers. The provincial agriculture department said in a release Wednesday that it will flow the funding directly to producers through its programs and business risk management division. Details will be provided next week, the department said. “The department identified short-term […] Read more

Quebec’s hog sector is waiting on a report the province commissioned for a March 3 deadline, on ways to revive the industry. Guy Coulombe, a longtime provincial civil servant, was appointed in September by Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard to enter into talks between principal players in the hog production and pork processing sectors and file […] Read more

Ontario’s Agricorp has begun mailing cheques from the province’s $130 million aid program for cattle, hog and horticulture producers, the agency announced Tuesday. Cheques went into the mail starting Feb. 29 and should begin to arrive in producers’ mailboxes this week, the agency said. Agricorp is the provincial agency that delivers risk management funding and […] Read more

Manitoba’s provincial government has indefinitely extended a moratorium on new or expanded hog operations in the province’s main livestock corridor and points north. The decision, which drew immediate criticism from the province’s hog producers’ group, follows the long-awaited release Monday of the provincial Clean Environment Commission’s (CEC) report on the environmental sustainability of Manitoba’s hog […] Read more

Early data from an ongoing consumer purchasing study shows meat purchases to be driven most often by whether the entire family will like the product chosen. The data, outlined briefly Monday in a joint release from Canada’s pork, lamb, veal and chicken producers’ groups, showed that while “price” and “value for money” are important in […] Read more

Legislative changes that could boost federal advance payments available to cash-strapped livestock producers as soon as late March made their way quickly into law Thursday. The House of Commons, Senate and Governor General by Thursday had all approved amendments to the Agricultural Marketing Products Act that “will provide improved cash flow to all commodity groups; […] Read more

With a panel in place, public consultations on what defines a farm for municipal tax purposes in British Columbia are expected to start early this summer, the province announced Friday. Revenue Minister Rick Thorpe on Friday named the remaining members of the farm assessment review panel, which is expected to file its report and recommendations […] Read more

Rob Leslie, a former rancher and livestock drug sales rep, has been named the new manager of CanFax, the market analysis wing of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. Leslie starts March 3, the CCA said in a release Tuesday. His role will include that of the division’s senior market analyst, as well as advocacy work, representing […] Read more

A six-year-old dairy cow from Alberta was confirmed Tuesday as Canada’s latest case of mad cow disease. As in every case since bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was first found in Canada in 2003, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reported the animal’s carcass is under agency control and no part of it went into the […] Read more