Reading Time: 2 minutes Elated.” That was the word the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association used to described the U.S. Senate passage of Congress’s omnibus appropriations bill that would repeal U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) for Canadian beef and pork. “This is fantastic news for Canada’s beef cattle producers,” said CCA president Dave Solverson, who ranches near Camrose. “The CCA initiated this […] Read more
Christmas came early for beef and pork producers
Faced with the prospect of punishing sanctions, Congress includes repeal of COOL law in omnibus bill
Our bacon ambassador does Alberta proud
Reading Time: 3 minutes Bacon is getting a whole new sizzle on the gourmet scene these days — would you believe chocolate bacon Fudgsicles? — and Russell Bird is making sure Alberta gets its due. The Sherwood Park man represented his country in the bacon category at the World Food Championships in Florida last month and reports things have […] Read more
China to resume imports from U.S. pork plants
Chicago | Reuters — China, the world’s largest pork consumer, will soon resume imports from 14 U.S. pork plants and warehouses, after halting some shipments last year over the use of a feed additive, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday. USDA did not provide a date on which China will resume the imports. China’s […] Read more
Subway shifting all U.S. meat supplies to no antibiotics, ever
Chicago | Reuters –– Sandwich chain Subway will start serving antibiotic-free chicken and turkey at its U.S. restaurants next year, and within the next nine years will stop selling any meat from animals given antibiotics, the company said Tuesday. Rivals such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and McDonald’s have announced similar supply-chain shifts, adding pressure on […] Read more
Dawson: Ag exporters applaud historic TPP deal
Export-oriented Canadian farmers are giving the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement reached in Atlanta on Monday two thumbs up. The deal, which remains to be debated in Canada’s House of Commons and could take more than a year to be ratified by all 12 member countries, will see tariffs on Canadian products in those markets eliminated […] Read more
Producer groups lobby for TPP deal in Atlanta
Several Canadian grain and livestock commodity groups have representatives in Atlanta this week pressing for federal negotiators to keep Canada in play on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Trade ministers from the 12 TPP countries — also including the U.S., Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam — are meeting in […] Read more
Biocontainment plan can be a lifesaver during a disease outbreak
The to-do list is a long one in a crisis — and it’s better to have it all set down in writing
Reading Time: 2 minutes No one wants an infectious animal disease outbreak on their farm — but every producer should be ready for one, says an expert on biocontainment plans. “When we get into crisis mode, we tend to forget the important steps and communications pieces that need to be there — by having it all documented ahead of […] Read more
McDonald’s investor wants it to cut antibiotics in all meats
Los Angeles | Reuters –– A McDonald’s Corp. shareholder group is renewing its call for the fast-food chain to stop buying any meat from animals raised with antibiotics vital to fighting human infections. The move from the Congregation of Benedictine Sisters of Boerne, Texas, comes amid growing concern from public health experts that the overuse […] Read more
Regulatory wrangling ups the threat of PEDv in Canada
Livestock trailers coming from the U.S. could spread the virus across Western Canada, say pork officials
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washing hog transports in the U.S. before they return to Canada sounds good in theory — but it may actually increase the threat of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus here. “We are extremely concerned about this because essentially we’re going to be sending trailers to be firehose washed at some point in the U.S. where they […] Read more
Canada preparing shorter list of tariff targets in COOL fight
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada is whittling down its list of U.S. products that it may hit with steep tariffs in retaliation against contentious meat-labeling laws, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said on Tuesday. The Canadian government is likely to target beef, pork, California wines, mattresses, cherries and office furniture, possibly along with other goods, from […] Read more
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