CETA may lead to a complete restructuring of the beef industry and higher prices for meat in Canada
Reading Time: 3 minutes The phrase “game changer” is bandied around to describe everything from public policy to hockey players. And while the Canada-EU free trade agreement actually is a “game changer,” it will not be the saviour of the beef industry. It may, in fact, lead to a complete restructuring of our beef industry, eliminate smaller producers and […] Read moreNo greener pastures for beef producers in Europe
Straw men give new hope for cattle and beef sector
Kim McConnell, John Kolk and David Andrews have impressed even cynics with their thoughtful, focused and determined approach
Reading Time: 4 minutes If you haven’t heard about the straw man beef industry strategy by now, you will over the next year. That’s because the three straw men — Kim McConnell, John Kolk and David Andrews — have demonstrated steely determination to make sure this project to strategically revamp the beef sector does not die. They recently managed […] Read moreBison return has real concerns
Reading Time: 2 minutes Parks Canada recently released a proposal to reintroduce bison to restricted areas of Banff National Park. The detailed process outlines a multi-year program to establish a breeding herd of about 100 head. If the plan is successful bison will be further reintroduced into other areas of the park. Stakeholder groups were consulted including the local […] Read more
SSRP has no plan for commercial agriculture
Reading Time: 4 minutes The last few years has seen the Alberta government working through a laborious process to create long-term development plans for specific watershed areas of the province. The idea is to establish a governing process that will oversee how resources such as agriculture, ranching, energy, recreation, transportation, conservation, tourism and others will develop in the various […] Read more
Draft development plan seems incomplete, says WSGA
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Alberta Government has released the draft South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP), the second of seven regional plans for the Land Use Framework. The stated purpose of the SSRP is to set out a template to effectively manage growth and development across the entire region to see the economy of all sectors grow. This is […] Read more
Handling deadstock continues to pose problems with SRMs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Beef Producer’s deadstock subcommittee recently presented its deadstock handling report to the board of directors. The deadstock issue in Alberta has been a concern since BSE reduced the pickup service from farms for rendering. About 75,000 tonnes of cattle carcasses are produced in Alberta every year and about half of this is picked up […] Read more
Pain issue an opportunity for proactive industry response
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dr. Ed Pajor serves as part of the animal care team at Calgary Stampede. It seems every few months there are more case studies that emerge on why agriculture needs to become more proactive in managing animal welfare issues. The recent W5 investigative report, “Behind the barn door,” is one high-profile example that hits home […] Read more
Biotechnology — whose voice should be heard?
Biotech pioneers won this year’s World Food Prize, but the ‘Frankenfood’ debate still rages on in North America
Reading Time: 3 minutes It was hard not to smile when one of our African colleagues on a CropLife International tour at the World Food Prize event in Des Moines, Iowa asked a presenter to address rumours that clothes made from genetically modified (GM) crops will make a man bald and impotent. After all, after nearly 20 years of […] Read moreTrade deal could have been worse for the dairy industry
Reading Time: 4 minutes Alone amongst the cheerleading for the new Canada/EU trade agreement was an angry broadside from the Canadian dairy industry. It feels sold by the doubling of quota for tariff-free EU fine cheese imports. The dairy producers feel it will drive small Canadian artisanal cheese producers out of business under a flood of additional EU fine […] Read more
Ritz is probably relieved to lose CFIA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Government ministers usually like the power of their office and any loss of responsibility can seem like a demotion of sorts. But I suspect the recent transfer of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) from Agriculture Canada to Health Canada probably came as a relief to federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. The transfer was done […] Read more
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