Toronto | Reuters — Canada will give local dairy processors significant control over imports under a new trade deal with Pacific countries that opens the sheltered industry to further competition, according to a notice published by the federal government, which drew criticism from Canadian retailers. New quotas created by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for […] Read more

Canadian dairies get significant control over imports under TPP

Dairy issue nags as U.S., Canada prepare to sign trade pact
New York/Ottawa | Reuters — Dairy remains a sticking point between the United States and Canada as the countries prepare to sign a new North American trade pact this week, according to four sources familiar with the matter. U.S. objections to Canada’s protected internal market for dairy products was a major challenge facing negotiators during […] Read more

Major grocers pull romaine lettuce nationwide
Despite seeing no evidence yet of nationwide contamination, several major Canadian grocers are pulling romaine lettuce from sale across Canada in the wake of E. coli-related illness outbreaks in three provinces. Loblaw Companies announced Wednesday it was recalling and removing from its store shelves across the country all romaine lettuce products “out of an abundance […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Prairie fababeans spike on global production issues
CNS Canada — Fababean prices in Western Canada have seen a boost lately due to global production problems, but according to a buyer this is a temporary situation. “Over the last 45 days we’ve saw this market spike, we’ll call it a buck a bushel that we’ve seen that increase from where we would typically […] Read more

Canada to work with China on trade deal despite USMCA clause, Trudeau says
Singapore | Reuters — Canada and China will continue to work together toward an “eventual” free trade deal, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday. This is despite the country being a signatory to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which specifies that if one of its partners enters a free trade deal […] Read more

Walmart’s LatAm delivery app Cornershop eyes Canada
Mexico City | Reuters — Cornershop, a Latin American grocery delivery app being acquired by Walmart, plans to expand into Canada early next year as a test market for the U.S., an executive for the three-year-old mobile app said. Walmart is buying Cornershop, which offers deliveries in Mexico and Chile, for US$225 million. The deal, […] Read more

U.S. dairy farmers get little help from Canada trade deal
Madison, Wisconsin/St. Claude, Manitoba | Reuters – Minnesota farmer Paul Fritsche can no longer afford health insurance as he struggles to sustain a dairy farm that has been in his family for nearly a century. With U.S. milk prices in the fourth year of a slump due to chronic oversupply, Fritsche, 58, is unsure whether […] Read more

Canadian cattle’s access to Philippines restored
The regulatory path has been cleared to resume exports of live Canadian cattle to the Philippines, reopening a market worth an estimated $8 million per year. The federal government on Monday announced the resumed export clearance, along with new market access for Canadian sheep and goat genetics exports to both Indonesia and the Philippines. The […] Read more

Sober start as recreational marijuana becomes legal in Canada
Toronto/Vancouver | Reuters — Canada became the first industrialized nation to legalize recreational cannabis on Wednesday, but a lawful buzz will be hard to come by in its biggest cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where stores are not yet open. The day was historic for the country as Canadian adults can now legally smoke recreational […] Read more

Vietnam could halt imports of wheat containing thistle seed
Hanoi | Reuters — Vietnam might halt imports of wheat cargoes containing cirsium arvense, or thistle seed, while suggesting local importers should seek supplies from Kazakhstan, Australia and Argentina, local media reported on Thursday. Wheat importer Vietnam, whose main suppliers include Russia, Australia and Canada, has been battling with imported wheat contaminated with thistle seed […] Read more