Italian sausages, cheeses and other traditional foods for sale in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo in December 2016. (Florin1961/iStock/Getty Images)

Italy won’t ratify EU trade deal with Canada, farm minister says

Milan | Reuters — Italy will not ratify the European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada, its new agriculture minister said on Thursday, ratcheting up an international trade spat and potentially scuppering the EU’s biggest accord in years. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is the first major trade deal the European Union has […] Read more

Southern Ontario wine grapes on the vine. (Dave Bedard photo)

World wine output falls to 60-year low

Paris | Reuters — Global wine output fell to its lowest level in 60 years in 2017 due to poor weather conditions in the European Union that slashed production in the bloc, international wine organization OIV said. Wine production totalled 250 million hectolitres last year, down 8.6 per cent from 2016, data from the Paris-based […] Read more


Farm group Coldiretti, which says it represents 1.6 million Italian farmers, attracts a lot of media attention with its demonstrations, including this one in Rome last summer. The message on the sign in a photo from an Italian TV station’s coverage of the demonstration translates as ‘We do not want the Canadian wheat that has glyphosate.’

Italian durum exports hit by labelling rule

Exports to our best long-term customer have plunged 
because of a new labelling rule and safety accusations

Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada needs to fight back to hold on to one of its biggest durum markets, says a top official with the association representing Italian pasta makers. “We know that Canadian durum wheat is excellent for pasta production, but unfortunately some Italian farm organizations have made a very tough campaign against it over the past years,” […] Read more

The Canada 150 emblem in a durum field. (Agr.gc.ca)

Steady to lower durum market expected

CNS Canada — Larger-than-expected production, a seasonal slowdown in demand and looming Italian country-of-origin-labeling regulations all loom over the Canadian durum market, with steady to lower prices anticipated over the next few months. Italian COOL regulations are set to come into effect in mid-February and require pasta makers in the country to segregate foreign durum, […] Read more


Italian pastas. (RussoTiesi.com)

Italy demands origin labels for pasta, rice

Rome | Reuters — All packets of pasta and rice sold in Italy will have to include labels of origin showing where the produce was grown, the government ruled on Thursday, a move aimed at protecting local farmers. The agriculture and industry ministers signed a decree ordering the new labelling policy, saying it would run […] Read more




Former Montreal Alouettes quarterback Vince Ferragamo and wife Jodi converted a horse corral to a vineyard on their property in California’s Orange County to start their winery in 2010. (FerragamoWinery.com)

Italy’s Ferragamo suing ex-Als QB over same-name winery

Reuters — Salvatore Ferragamo SpA, the Italian luxury goods maker, on Wednesday sued former Montreal Alouettes and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo, saying he infringed its trademarks by operating his namesake winery in southern California. Consumers are likely to be confused into thinking the Ferragamo Winery and Ferragamo SpA are related, the Italian company […] Read more