With an Ontario duck farm depopulated and disinfected, and no new outbreaks in the three following months, Canada has again declared itself free of notifiable avian flu. The federal government announced Wednesday it has informed the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that Ontario is considered free of avian influenza as per OIE guidelines. About […] Read more

Canada again declares as avian flu-free

Maple Leaf to shut southern Ontario turkey plant
Maple Leaf Foods plans to outsource all its fresh turkey processing to another company’s southern Ontario plant in 2018 after shutting its own operation. The company announced Tuesday it will close its plant at Thamesford, Ont., east of London, after phasing its production over the next 18 months into Sofina Foods’ plant at Mitchell, about […] Read more

Tighter border programs eyed for poultry, dairy imports
Federal programs meant to give importers tariff breaks on certain imports and products destined for re-export are up for tweaks to better cover Canada’s supply-managed poultry and dairy sectors. The federal government said Friday it plans to launch consultations with “industry stakeholders” over potential changes to its Duties Relief Program (DRP) and Import for Re-Export […] Read more

Which came first? The healthy chicken or the clean egg?
Alberta study sorted through a plethora of egg-cleaning methods to find the best way to reduce bacteria on eggs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cleaning eggs is critical in hatcheries in order to minimize bacteria on shells that can affect chicks when they emerge. But there’s more than one way to clean eggs. “Farmers are using many different methods to clean their eggs,” said Brenda Schneider, a poultry research technologist with the province. “Some dust them off, others use […] Read more

Ukrlandfarming owner in talks to sell stake
Kiev | Reuters — Ukrainian businessman Oleh Bakhmatyuk, the major shareholder in agricultural group Ukrlandfarming, is in talks with Chinese and Middle East investors about possibly selling a stake in the company, Interfax news agency said on Monday. Ukrlandfarming’s main businesses are grain and sugar production, livestock farming, the distribution of agricultural products and the […] Read more

Cargill to exit Canadian egg processing
U.S. agrifood giant Cargill is set to step out of the Canadian egg processing business and sell its Toronto-area plant to another processor in the same line of work. The company announced Thursday it plans to sell its egg processing plant at Etobicoke to Global Egg Corp., which also operates out of Etobicoke, for an […] Read more

Saskatchewan to thin out wolf pack along treeline
Aiming to prevent “wolf-livestock conflicts” in the region, Saskatchewan’s environment department will again offer a wolf hunting season along the provincial forest fringe starting Saturday. The wolf hunt, running from Oct. 15, 2016 through to March 31, 2017, is to be allowed in wildlife management zones 43 (Melfort, Tisdale), 47 (North Battleford, Turtleford), 48 (Preeceville, […] Read more

U.S. chicken chain makes move on Western Canada
The world’s second-biggest quick-service chicken chain by number of stores is set to expand its reach into Western Canada starting next month. Atlanta-based chain Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen announced Tuesday it plans to open a new store in November in the Tamarack area of Edmonton, followed by a store in Calgary’s Forest Lawn area, then “subsequent […] Read more

Millions of chickens reported dead in Hurricane Matthew floods
Chicago | Reuters — Flooding from Hurricane Matthew has killed up to five million poultry birds in North Carolina, most of them chickens, the state’s top environmental official said Wednesday. Donald van der Vaart, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, also told Reuters that some pits that hold hog waste on farms […] Read more

Jacket maker Canada Goose reported planning IPO
Reuters — Canada Goose Inc., a maker of luxury winter down jackets, is interviewing banks to help prepare for an initial public offering (IPO) that could value the company at as much as $2 billion, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. An IPO of Toronto-based Canada Goose would demonstrate the explosive growth the […] Read more