Livestock

Ontario’s provincial government will make a $10 million investment in Bioniche Life Sciences’ expansion plans for commercial-scale production of its E. coli vaccine for cattle. The company owns the rights to worldwide commercialization of the vaccine, which Bioniche said can prevent E. coli O157:H7 from colonizing in cattle’s digestive systems and can reduce the amount […] Read more

Six Prince Edward Island cattlemen have been named by acclamation to sit on the province’s new cattle commodity board. The Prince Edward Island Cattle Producers Board, created as a commodity board in January this year, was initially led by the directors of the P.E.I. Cattlemen’s Association on the date that the regulation for the new […] Read more

A 13-year-old beef cow from Alberta was confirmed Tuesday as Canada’s latest case of mad cow disease (BSE). The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reported that the animal’s carcass is under CFIA control and no part of it entered the food or feed system. The agency also assured in a press release that this case […] Read more

Quebec’s ministry of agriculture, food and fisheries isn’t in a position to “adequately contribute” to a coherent sustainable development policy for the province, according to a report filed last week by the provincial sustainable development commissioner. Harvey Mead’s report, released Thursday by the provincial auditor general’s office, observes that while the ag ministry (MAPAQ) is […] Read more

Livestock groups across Canada have begun scrutinizing the details in federal government plans to speed up producers’ access to $3.8 billion in loans and stabilization payments, announced Friday by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. Ottawa plans to “accelerate access” to payments from the 2006 Canadian Ag Income Stabilization (CAIS) program, AgriStability 2007, AgriInvest and the $600 […] Read more

Livestock producers who have breeder loans through a breeder association in Saskatchewan’s livestock loan guarantee (LLG) program can now apply for a break on repaying the loan principal, the province announced Friday. Eligible producers can apply to have the principal payment extended for one year, during which they’ll be required to pay the interest due […] Read more

The Prince Edward Island government announced Thursday it would withhold all further public assistance from the Natural Organic Food Group (NOFG) hog plant at Charlottetown and bring in the provincial Auditor General to examine the province’s relationship to the plant. “Given some of the concerns that have been raised, it is simply no longer responsible […] Read more

Cattle producers in feeder associations in Saskatchewan can now apply for rebates of interest paid through the Advance Payments Program (APP). Saskatchewan Agriculture announced this week it had signed an agreement with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to allow the provincial Livestock Loan Guarantee (LLG) program to administer the interest-only portion of the federal APP in […] Read more

Canada’s governments must offer their hog producers some assurance that emergency loans will be available to them before Christmas, the Canadian Pork Council said Wednesday. The council, at a press conference Wednesday morning in Ottawa, said hog producers are requesting loans, repayable with interest, as opposed to grants or any kind of handout. “We are […] Read more

Nova Scotia’s provincial government will cut its governing ties to the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC), granting it the level of academic freedom and “insitutional autonomy” seen at other ag schools. Under a bill introduced Wednesday, the Truro-area college would no longer be a branch of the provincial department of agriculture, although its mandate, programming, […] Read more