Livestock
Canada is willing to talk about its protected farm industries in free trade negotiations with the European Union, but its goal is to keep its protectionist mechanism, supply management, in place, the country’s chief agriculture negotiator said Wednesday. The Conservative government, sensitive to sentiment in vote-rich Eastern Canada, has long said it will maintain supply-management […] Read more
Supply management on table in EU talks, negotiator says
Top court closes book on milk minimums in cheese
A court challenge by major cheesemakers against federal compositional standards for cheese in Canada is officially over, having gone as far as it can go. The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday dismissed — with costs — an application from dairy processing giants Saputo and Kraft Canada seeking leave to appeal a loss at the […] Read more
Supply management not in ‘dress code’ for TPP club: N.Z.
Getting in on a potentially lucrative Asia Pacific trade pact will not just be a matter of showing up and asking in, one of the participating countries warns Canada and other would-be entrants. New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser, in a speech Tuesday in his home country, said countries such as Canada, Japan and Mexico […] Read more
Que. to offer advances on ASRA transition funding
Interest-free cash advances are to be made available from a fund to help eligible Quebec farmers adapt to changes in the province’s ag income stabilization program (ASRA). The province on Tuesday said it would add an ad hoc component to its Strategie de soutien a l’adaptation to provide, on a case-by-case basis, interest-free loans equal […] Read more
Landowners to get more options in Alta. expropriations
A new batch of rulemaking is expected to give Alberta landowners such as farmers more say over the timing when their land has to be expropriated for "major infrastructure projects." The provincial government on Monday introduced amendments to its Land Assembly Project Area Act — which by itself was meant to map out a clear […] Read more
Alberta Liberals’ ag critic crosses floor
Alberta’s provincial Liberal caucus has lost its agriculture, rural development and municipal affairs critic to the governing Tories. Bridget Pastoor, the MLA for Lethbridge East since 2004, announced her decision Monday at an Edmonton press conference alongside Premier Alison Redford, who described Pastoor as a "dedicated and hard-working representative for her constituents." Pastoor, 71, had […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle prices remain volatile
Western Canadian feeder cattle prices continue to trade in a mixed volatile pattern. A Pfizer Gold age-verified group of Charolais-cross steers averaging 520 pounds sold for $162 per hundredweight in central Alberta. Run-of-the-mill Simmental-cross steers averaging 510 lbs. sold for $151/cwt in the same region. The market is starting to reflect sharper discounts for lower-quality […] Read more
WTO rips U.S. COOL law in win for Canada
An international body has ruled the United States’ laws requiring mandatory country-of-origin labels on beef, pork and produce violate its commitments to global trade rules. The ruling, coming Friday from a panel of the World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), is seen as a clear win for Canada, which has fought the law through […] Read more
Ont. egg farmers pick first quota loan recipient
A new program to lend startup quota to would-be egg farmers in Ontario has named its first successful applicants. Egg Farmers of Ontario on Tuesday announced Michael and Gwen Van Gurp of Norwich, about 50 km east of London, as the recipients of quota from its New Entrant Quota Loan Pool program for 2011. "We […] Read more
NDP, Grits seek safeguards on supply management
Federal New Democrats and Liberals want to see assurances from the governing Conservatives that supply management won’t be a bargaining chip for Canada to secure a spot in a proposed Asia Pacific free trade deal. The Tories on Sunday announced Canada’s formal intent to enter consultations with members of the nine-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) toward […] Read more
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