Dairy Farmers of Canada’s new president certainly has his work cut out for him. Pierre Lampron, a 51-year-old organic dairy producer from St. Boniface, Quebec, was elected at DFC’s annual general meeting in Edmonton on Wednesday, replacing Wally Smith who served his maximum three terms dating back to July 2011. Lampron took some time to… Read more »
Category: Ag Policy
MacAulay, Stewart respond to Italian pasta COOL decree
Italy’s government signed a decree on Thursday requiring packages of pasta sold in the country include country of origin labels. Italy is one of the largest markets for Canadian durum, importing around 1.2 million tonnes in 2015-16, according to Canadian Grain Commission figures. “We are putting Italy in the vanguard of Europe when it comes… Read more »
Ag ministers reach deal on new framework dubbed the “Canadian Agricultural Partnership”
Agriculture ministers from across Canada say they reached an agreement in St. John’s today on the core elements of the next agriculture policy framework, which will be called the “Canadian Agricultural Partnership.” CAP is a five-year $3 billion federal-provincial-territorial funding agreement that will replace the current framework, known as Growing Forward 2, which expires at the… Read more »
President Trump says U.S. gained access into China for beef because he asked for it
Negotiating trade deals to increase market access is typically not easy. Non-tariff barriers, thickening borders, and increased commerce bureaucracy all make access to global markets and free trade very difficult. But what if market access could be made easier by just asking for it. Why didn’t former Presidents, NCBA and a handful of U.S. Trade… Read more »
Farmers, researchers discussing how carbon policy can recognize ag’s contributions
Farmers, researchers and government policy people are in Saskatoon today for the Prairie Agriculture Carbon Summit, hosted by the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan. As APAS president Todd Lewis explains in the interview below, the intent of the conference is to drive a conversation about the role farm practices have in reducing greenhouse gas emissions… Read more »
New coalition against carbon tax brings message to Manitoba Legislature
Four groups concerned the Manitoba government’s carbon tax plan will “negatively impact the provincial economy, and do little to reduce Manitoba’s greenhouse gas emissions” have formed a coalition to oppose the plan. The coalition includes the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and AxeTheCarbonTax.ca. They held… Read more »
Grain Commission confirms reduced user fees as of August 1
The Canadian Grain Commission has confirmed its user fees will be reduced as of August 1, 2017, in an effort to minimize further accumulation in the CGC’s user fee surplus. “Reducing these fees means that millions of dollars will remain in the grain sector, where it can benefit producers and grain handling companies,” notes Patti… Read more »
Dairy Farmers of Ontario withdrawing promotional funding from Dairy Farmers of Canada
A disagreement between Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) and Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) over promotions and marketing has led the provincial group to withdraw its promotional funding from the national organization. DFO notified its members this week that it will not be sending funds for promotions and marketing to DFC as of January 1,… Read more »
India grants another three month reprieve on pulse fumigation rules
India’s government has granted Canada another three month exemption from its rule requiring fumigation of pulse crops before they arrive in India, according to Canada’s agriculture and trade ministers. Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, issued the following statement on Wednesday: Since 2004, India has granted Canada… Read more »
Shortline railways to buy Saskatchewan’s hopper car fleet
The Saskatchewan government says it has reached deals with three shortline railways in the province to sell the Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation’s fleet of 898 hopper cars. Big Sky Rail Corp. (663 cars), Great Western Railway Ltd (150 cars) and Great Sandhills Railway (85 cars) have committed to buying the fleet for $9.7 million, or… Read more »
Pulse sector seeks clarity on fees as India plans six-month extension
India’s government has give notice of another six-month exemption regarding its fumigation requirements for agricultural commodities shipped to the country, but it looks like shipments to Canada’s largest pulse market could face another trade obstacle — much higher inspection fees — upon arrival at Indian ports. Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) says “additional clarity is required”… Read more »
R-CALF rhetoric pushes to have COOL reinstated
Montana-based cattle membership organization R-CALF has launched a multi-pronged attack to convince President Trump to reinstate mandatory country of origin labelling (MCOOL) in the upcoming renegotiation of NAFTA. On Agritalk on Thursday, R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard argued for MCOOL on the basis it supports President Trump’s “America first” policy, food safety, and America’s sovereignty, since the… Read more »
CGC to reduce user fees for 2017-18 crop year (amended)
Editor’s note: The earlier version of this story said the federal government had approved a reduction in user fees for the 2017-18 crop year earlier this week, according to the commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission. A senior CGC communications staff member has since informed us the commissioner “misspoke,” and that the commission is still… Read more »
Don’t mess with family — Perdue’s message to the rest of the Trump cabinet
Blood is thicker than water, and you should never mess with family. As I look back on the trilateral meeting between the agricultural leaders from Canada, the United States and Mexico, U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue has repeatedly emphasized the word ‘family’. With spouses included, this triple date included local Savannah, Georgia hospitality and even… Read more »
Railways anticipating $1 billion annual carbon tax bill by 2022
Canada’s freight railways say they anticipate paying over a billion dollars per year by 2022 under carbon pricing policies proposed and planned by the federal and provincial governments. “It’s difficult to get a precise figure, but we’ve tried to run some estimates based on the existing pricing structures and fiscal instruments, as well as the… Read more »