(BenAndJerrys.ca)

Dairy sector still working toward ingredients strategy

The Canadian dairy industry has missed a self-imposed deadline for the Feb. 1 implementation of a national ingredients strategy — but work continues toward that implementation. The strategy is meant to create a lower-priced class of milk, Class 7, to encourage the use of skim milk powder in further-processed ingredients. Ontario has already independently implemented […] Read more


Brian Mulroney

Give Trump a chance and ‘play this wisely,’ says Brian Mulroney

Make the case that trade helps both countries, go slow on environmental taxes, 
and make friends in Asia, says the former PM

Reading Time: 3 minutes Be patient. And don’t worry too much just yet. That’s the advice of former prime minister Brian Mulroney for those wondering what Donald Trump’s presidency will mean for this country. “I know you’re wondering how Canada will fare under the Trump administration,” Mulroney said at FarmTech. “I’ve had the privilege of knowing both Hillary (Clinton) […] Read more

dairy cow, milk, cheese

Restaurants call foul as dairy farmers get a second pay hike this year

World dairy prices are crashing but Alberta Milk chair says the 
latest increase is modest and won’t hurt restaurant chains

Reading Time: 3 minutes Even though world dairy prices are at historic lows, Canadian dairy farmers will be getting a boost of 2.76 per cent for industrial milk — used to make butter, ice cream, yogurt, and cheese — starting Sept. 1. It comes on the heels of a 2.2 per cent price hike in February. “The industrial price […] Read more


(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Lower feed costs weigh on supply-managed goods

CNS Canada –– Relatively soft feed grain prices over the past year mean producers of supply-managed commodities, such as milk and eggs, have also received lower prices for their products. Such is the interpretation of industry participants accounting for declines in the latest Farm Price Index data released by Statistics Canada. The livestock and animal […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Agropur eyes further U.S. acquisitions

Reuters — Canada’s second-biggest dairy, Agropur Co-operative, said it is looking to grow in the U.S., possibly through acquisitions, in the face of an expected erosion of its market share at home due to recent international trade deals. Agropur, whose brands include Iogo yogurt and Oka cheese, and larger rival Saputo have already built U.S. […] Read more



New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser, shown here last November, doesn’t expect a Trans-Pacific trade deal to kill Canada’s supply management systems. (Beehive.govt.nz)

TPP not the death of supply management, N.Z. trade chief says

Hamilton, N.Z. | MCO — Canada’s supply-managed sectors should not worry about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, from where New Zealand’s Trade Minister Tim Groser sits. “I can understand why producer groups would wish to perceive this in a different way, but this is not the end of supply management,” he said here Thursday. “I don’t think […] Read more


Canadian dairy farmers protested against the Trans-Pacific Partnership in late September. Federal negotiators agreed to increase foreign access to Canadian dairy markets to 3.25 per cent, but Ottawa will set up a $4.3-billion fund to compensate farmers and processors who are negatively affected.

TPP trade deal to impact Alberta

Livestock, canola and grain producers say it’s a big win, 
but supply management will see its market share shrink

Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s just what they hoped for — or not as bad as they feared. News of a deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was cheered by export-focused farm groups while getting a ‘it could have been worse’ reaction from many in the supply management sector. “This is really fantastic news for Canada’s beef producers,” said […] Read more

(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Van Camp: Olive branches offered through new gaps in tariff wall

What do you get when you mix milk and eggs with a looming election? A “free” trade deal that gained major market access in Asia for Canada, but managed to keeps the tariffs for Canada’s supply-managed commodities. After all the barking from New Zealand, cows parading on Parliament Hill, tweets, heart-wrenching videos on Facebook, election […] Read more