Seoul | Reuters — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered improvements to infrastructure and expansion of farmland to ramp up food production, state media said on Thursday, amid warnings of an impending food crisis. Kim gave instructions to revamp irrigation systems, build modern farming machines and create more arable land as he wrapped up […] Read more
North Korea’s Kim demands more farmland to boost food production
Business leaders back tax credit to spur more agri-processing
Province to offer 12 per cent tax credit for large-scale value-added projects
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new provincial tax break aimed at boosting the province’s agri-processing sector is getting a thumbs up from business leaders. “We are truly involved in a global economy that includes a rise in demand for food exports,” said Rich Vesta, owner of Harmony Beef, who hosted a government press conference announcing the tax credit. “With […] Read more
Inventive distillery turns waste milk product into vodka
Distilling process key to a sustainable dairy value chain
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – After turning “unused milk sugar” into a popular line-up of vodka and cream liquors, Ontario’s Dairy Distillery has achieved another milestone — carbon neutral production. The Ottawa-area maker of Vodkow is already well known to many Albertans as the province is the company’s second biggest market after Ontario. It makes vodka from […] Read more
Canadians fret about food but not about those who produce it
Rising prices have sapped consumer confidence, but they still trust farmers, annual survey finds
Reading Time: 3 minutes Consumers still view farmers as the good guys and even more so when it comes to animal welfare. That’s according to the latest edition of an annual survey of Canadian attitudes toward the food system. “As far as the farmers, I trust that they are the best resource of the food system, always providing the […] Read more
Mexico opens door for GM corn in feed, industrial uses
U.S. 'disappointed' in Mexico's new decree
Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico on Monday scrapped a deadline to ban genetically modified corn for animal feed and industrial use amid trade tensions with the United States — but retained plans to prohibit use of the GM grain for human consumption, as well as the herbicide glyphosate. The move, approved in a government […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Earthquake to have little effect on pulse markets
Such disasters don't often blow back on agrifood commodity costs
MarketsFarm — The earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday last week, taking the lives of more than 40,000 people, may not have a major effect on pulse markets, according to one analyst. Jon Driedger from Leftfield Commodity Research in Winnipeg said that while natural disasters like an earthquake can take on […] Read more
Federal NDP ag critic to handle food inflation file
Mini-shuffle follows new critic portfolio
Canada’s federal New Democrats have appointed their critic for agriculture and agri-food to a new point position on a major issue for the fourth-ranked opposition party. After the House of Commons resumed sitting last Monday (Jan. 30), NDP leader Jagmeet Singh on Friday named Alistair MacGregor, MP for the Vancouver Island riding of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, to […] Read more
Borderline city hosts interprovincial food trade pilot
Trade barrier on pause for two years for food businesses serving Lloydminster
The idea of loosening interprovincial trade in certain foods made by provincially-inspected processors will get a major test in one of Canada’s very few province-crossing municipalities. The Saskatchewan, Alberta and federal governments on Jan. 19 announced the start of a two-year pilot project within the limits of Lloydminster, a city of over 31,000 people straddling […] Read more
Germany considering withdrawal from crop-based biofuels by 2030
Lawmakers seek to boost biofuel made from wastes
Hamburg | Reuters — Germany’s government is considering proposals to phase out the use of biofuels produced from food or animal feed crops by 2030, the German biofuels industry association (VDB) said on Tuesday, adding the measure could increase carbon emissions. German environment minister Steffi Lemke said Jan. 17 she will soon send proposals to […] Read more
Op/Ed: The consequences from food inflation can last a generation
There’s no room for compromise when it comes to ensuring our children have proper nutrition
Reading Time: 3 minutes Recent high food price inflation has plagued many Canadian families, especially those on tight budgets. Statistics Canada reported in October that in-store food prices increased at a faster rate than the all-items Consumer Price Index for the 11th month in a row. The Ontario Student Nutrition Program, which feeds 28,000 students, reports that a breakfast […] Read more
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