The B.C. Supreme Court released its decision regarding the issue of double criminality in the extradition case of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou on Wednesday. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes ruled the trial should proceed, saying the crime Meng is accused of by U.S. prosecutors would also be a crime in Canada. Farmers in Canada have… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has created a temporary ministerial exemption process that opens the door to inter-provincial movement of meat and poultry products from establishments that are not federally-licensed. Normally, meat from provincially-inspected facilities is not allowed to be sold beyond a province’s boundary, but the federal agency is offering an exemption if… Read More
Exports are so important to the Canadian beef industry, and early 2020 was shaping up to be a record year for global demand. Then, COVID-19 happened. Statistics Canada recently released the January to March numbers for Canadian beef exports, and as Brenna Grant, manager of research services for CanFax, explains, there is evidence of COVID-19… Read More
The cattle and beef industries have been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. To answer some of the timely questions this RealAg LIVE! edition features Fawn Jackson, director of government and international relations at the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. In the video below, host Shaun Haney and Fawn discuss: Domestic and U.S. cattle processing, where things… Read More
The federal government has been criticized for its handling of China both diplomatically and on trade. That said, Canada is a tiny country economically, and it’s rather difficult to throw weight around when you don’t have it. Dr. Gordon Houlden, director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta, says that some of China’s… Read More
While announcing the details of the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program to assist livestock and grain producers, U.S. President Donald Trump dropped a shocker on the North American cattle industry. “I read yesterday where we take some cattle in from other countries, we have trade deals. I think you should look at terminating those deals,”… Read More
Just how important is the European Union canola (rapeseed) market? According to LeftField Commodity Research, the region had more than doubled its year-over-year canola imports up to mid-March of this year, offsetting nearly half of the Canadian tonnage that would have been sold to China. That’s a significant increase, says Jonathan Driedger with LeftField, driven… Read More
Editor’s note: this story was updated on April 29 with new information and a quote from the Dairy Processors Association of Canada and Dairy Farmers of Canada. The leader of the Opposition in the Senate of Canada is accusing the governing Liberals of breaking a promise to delay the implementation of the new North American… Read More
This week’s second Q & A LIVE segment features Leftfield Commodity Research analyst Jon Driedger and Shaun Haney discussing all things grain markets. Listen/watch for a full discussion on corn market dynamics, livestock ration swap-out options, why oats may face major over-supply, and the good news story that is pulses. Tune in Tuesday, April 28th,… Read More
Canada and nearly two dozen other members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are urging global leaders to avoid taking measures that adversely affect trade of agriculture products while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group, which includes the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, issued a joint statement on Canada’s request… Read More
As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, people are trying to compare this situation to what’s happened in the past. From a health perspective, there are parallels to the 1918 Spanish Flu; but from an economic standpoint, many are bringing up the early eighties and even the Great Depression of the ’30s. My grandfathers lived through… Read More
There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a huge impact on the global economy. The major disruption to food supply chains is one that will have a significant impact on domestic policy, infrastructure investment, and trade patterns in both the short and long term. Al Mussell, research lead with Agri-Food Economic Systems,… Read More
During the NAFTA renegotiations, it was continually reinforced by Canada and the U.S. that the beef supply chain between the two countries is highly integrated. From a trade perspective many look at this as a positive, but that does mean we share in market risk. Early on Monday, April 13, RealAgriculture was notified by feedyards… Read More
Olymel has notified pork producers in Ontario who ship to its processing plants in Quebec that it intends to exercise the force majeure clause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to industry sources. By invoking the clause, the company would no longer be required to purchase market hogs under the terms of the contracts it… Read More
No one can predict how long the COVID-19 pandemic will last, but a huge focus on social and physical distancing has been effective, at least in part, to “flattening the curve” of infection and critical illness. Tracking on an inverse curve is the local and global economy. Right now uncertainty, social distancing, and shuttered businesses… Read More