Updated Nov. 23 — Ontario’s government is considering new legislation to more clearly spell out who can provide what kinds of animal care in the province’s veterinary sector. The provincial ag ministry on Monday launched a round of public consultation on the Veterinarians Act, which governs licensing of veterinarians and accreditation of veterinary facilities in […] Read more
Ontario seeking new rules on scope of vet services
Changes also considered to veterinary sector oversight
Lab-grown meat cleared for human consumption by U.S. regulator
FDA's review not technically approval
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time cleared a meat product grown from animal cells for human consumption, the agency announced on Wednesday. Upside Foods, a company that makes cell-cultured chicken by harvesting cells from live animals and using the cells to grow meat in stainless-steel tanks, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Supply concerns drive CME live cattle to new contract high
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher and reached a new contract high on Wednesday amid concerns about tightening U.S. supplies, brokers said. Strong recent gains have left the market technically overbought and due for a setback, brokers said. “We’ve had a nice rally here,” said Matt Wiegand, commodity broker […] Read more
Saskatchewan, Manitoba to boost vet college seat quotas
Each province adding five subsidized seats at WCVM
Updated, Sept. 30 — With livestock producers’ needs at top of mind, 10 more student seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan will be spoken for starting next year. The college and the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments on Thursday announced the two provinces will each step up their funding […] Read more
Trudeau tours storm-hit Atlantic Canada as power outages persist
Flooding may hit P.E.I. potato crops
Port aux Basques, N.L. | Reuters — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday started a tour of Atlantic Canada, where thousands were still without power after record-setting storm Fiona ravaged the country’s east coast, tossing homes into the sea and killing at least three people. Fiona recorded the lowest barometric pressure ever for a storm […] Read more
Swiss reject initiative to ban factory farming
Voters back narrowly back rise in women's retirement age to 65
Geneva | Reuters — Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposal to ban factory farming in a referendum on whether the wealthy country’s strict animal welfare laws need to be tightened yet further. The government’s VoteInfo App showed a provisional result of 62.86 per cent of votes against the proposal, put to a referendum under […] Read more
Cleanup work begins for Eastern Canada after Fiona
Five provinces assessing damage from 'unprecedented' storm
Port aux Basques | Reuters — It will take several months for Canada to restore critical infrastructure after the powerful storm Fiona left an “unprecedented” trail of destruction, officials said on Sunday, as crews fanned out in five provinces to restore power and clean up fallen trees and debris. One 73-year-old woman died during the […] Read more
Video inspection an option for humane slaughter
Program available for animals that can't be transported to an abattoir
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Video Ante-Mortem (VAMI) program “allows for an ante-mortem inspection by video for animals that cannot be transported to an abattoir so that they may be humanely slaughtered on site,” says Kelly Sawka, operations manager north with Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development. “The program has already assisted several producers who had animals that […] Read more
What works — or at least helps — in reducing livestock predation?
That’s what a comprehensive pilot project led by Manitoba’s main cattle group hopes to establish
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are a lot of ways to reduce losses to predators, but what works best and which ones are a good investment? That’s what a multi-year pilot project in Manitoba is trying to determine. Among the items being studied are: special penning, with seven strings of electric wire and predator-resistant gates. game cameras that give […] Read more
Medicine Hat Feeding Co. wins auction award
Reading Time: < 1 minute Medicine Hat Feeding Co. has won the Auction Market of the Year Award, which is given out by the Canadian Angus Association. Medicine Hat Feeding Co. was formed in 1952 by the Taylor and Thompson families. Regular off-truck sales are held every Wednesday along with pre-sort sales in the spring and fall. Every fall, weekly […] Read more
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