New Delhi/Washington | Reuters — India has offered to partially open up its poultry and dairy markets in a bid for a limited trade deal during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first official visit to the country this month, people familiar with the protracted talks say. India, the world’s largest milk-producing nation, has traditionally restricted dairy […] Read more
India offers U.S. dairy, chicken access in bid for elusive trade deal
CFIA rethinking limits on travellers’ personal food imports
Consultation running until March
The federal government is considering changes to the amounts of food travellers can bring into Canada with them from other countries for their personal use. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Thursday announced public online consultations on the proposed new limits, which CFIA said would “better reflect the volume of foods typically moved by travellers […] Read more
Saputo to shut two dairy plants in East
Canadian dairy processing giant Saputo, in a move it describes as “right-sizing” its manufacturing footprint, plans to close two of its plants in Eastern Canada within a year. Montreal-based Saputo said Thursday it will close the former Riverside Cheese and Butter plant at Trenton, Ont. this September and its Baxter dairy plant at Saint John, […] Read more
Improving global ag trade may not favour Canada
MarketsFarm — When it comes to improving global trade relations, a rising tide may not lift all boats. In the recently-signed Phase One trade deal between the U.S. and China, Beijing pledged to significantly increase Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans and other agriculture goods. “Where does that leave room for Canada, given the demand side […] Read more
U.S. farmers expected to get third and final tranche of trade aid
Washington | Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said he expected the federal government to pay farmers a third and final tranche of 2019 trade aid a day after an initial deal with China was signed, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. Washington and Beijing signed the Phase One pact on Wednesday, setting trade tensions between […] Read more
Fictional nation Wakanda removed from USDA trade list
Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it removed the fictional country of Wakanda from an online list of nations that have free trade agreements with the United States on Thursday. The Kingdom of Wakanda is the home of Black Panther, the Marvel superhero, and is portrayed in comic books and the 2018 […] Read more
New dairy-processing plant to be built in Alberta
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Western Milk Pool, which represents dairy producers in Western Canada, will build a new dairy concentration facility. Construction of the Dairy Innovation West plant will begin in April and is expected to be completed by March 2021. The facility will be located near Lacombe and Red Deer. The state-of-the-art facility, the first of its […] Read more
Gay Lea buys northern Ontario cheesemaker
Ontario’s first producer of verified-grass-fed butter and cheeses is set to become part of the province’s biggest dairy co-operative. Gay Lea Foods said Monday it has completed a deal to buy Thornloe Cheese from its current owner, Guelph-based dairy genetics firm EastGen, for an undisclosed sum. Thornloe Cheese on its website says the business takes […] Read more
Free business analysis for dairy producers
Reading Time: < 1 minute Enrolment is now open for the Dairy Cost Study, which offers free business analysis for participating Alberta dairy farmers. Participants provide farm information over the course of a year, which is then compiled to create a business analysis on the cost and returns of producing milk at their farm. Individual data is kept confidential but […] Read more
U.S. farmers cheered by apparent trade truce
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers cheered the Trump administration’s announcement of a potentially dramatic increase in U.S. agricultural sales to China on Friday but warned they needed to see a follow-through of actual purchases. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the agricultural purchases could scale up to $40 billion-$50 billion annually as part of a […] Read more
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