The dispute between Canada and the U.S. over the allocation of dairy tariff rate quotas under the new North American trade deal took a step toward resolution this week, as the members of the three-person dispute panel that will issue a ruling on the U.S. complaint were announced. Elbio Oscar Roselli Frieri will chair the… Read More
The United States has requested and established a dispute settlement panel to review measures regarding Canada’s administration of its dairy tariff rate quota (TRQs) policies, under the new trade agreement USMCA/CUSMA. The U.S. is challenging Canada’s allocation of dairy TRQs — specifically the set-aside of a percentage of each dairy TRQ exclusively for Canadian processors…. Read More
Canadian National Railway (CN Rail) appears to have come from behind and taken the lead in the race with Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) to merge with Kansas City Southern to form the first rail freight network to link Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. CN announced Thursday that it has revised its offer to merge… Read More
The Trade and Climate Change conference was held virtually on April 7 to 9, 2021, and was a joint effort of U.S.-based Farm Foundation and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI). The objective of the conference was to explore topics in the context of global trade, where climate change policies have become “increasingly ambitious and… Read More
Much of the oxygen surrounding agriculture in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been used on dairy, but expect wheat to gain increased attention in the coming weeks if some U.S. farm groups get their way. Newly reappointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has mentioned USMCA enforcement and wheat several times in recent speeches, and… Read More
Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) is set to become the first rail freight network to link Canada, the U.S., and Mexico after announcing a US$25 billion stock and cash agreement to acquire Kansas City Southern (KCS) railway on Sunday. The enterprise value of the proposed deal, which has been approved unanimously by both railways’ boards of… Read More
David MacNaughton, who served as Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S from 2016 to 2019, says that while the Canada-U.S. leadership relationship is much improved under President Joe Biden, Canada still needs to proceed with caution. Yes, President Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have kicked off their relationship with friendly words of warmth and a… Read More
It appears the Biden and Trudeau governments are seeing many issues through a similar lense so far, especially when it comes to fighting climate change, enabling diversity, and a belief in science. Tuesday morning, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Marie-Claude Bibeau and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack met virtually, to discuss the importance of the… Read More
The theories range from “evil” American milk making its way into Canada, to mistreatment of cows or mysterious supplements fed to cows, to enzyme activity; but any sort of factual explanation for why some Canadians are saying butter has either changed consistency at room temperature or changed in flavour since August 2020 remains a mystery…. Read More
Not only is Tom Vilsack set to return as U.S. secretary of agriculture, he’s also open to bringing back U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) for beef and pork; but only if it doesn’t lead to retaliation from trading partners, such as Canada, under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Vilsack, who was ag secretary when the Obama… Read More
One year in to navigating a global pandemic, it’s clear that the economic health of consumers is ailing, but it’s difficult to measure by how much; and until COVID-19 passes, any economic recovery in Canada is strained. “It’s interesting, when we think back to a year ago, just before the pandemic really began to bear… Read More
What can farmers and ranchers expect from President Joe Biden’s administration? Tyne Morgan, host and executive producer of the U.S. Farm Report, joins Shaun Haney for a fast-paced, 30 minute conversation covering what to expect from Biden’s first 100 days in office, if ad hoc payments will continue, and commentary on Biden’s choices for leadership… Read More
Mexico’s president has published a decree beginning the phase out of the use of glyphosate and genetically modified corn in the country. Biosafety authorities of the country will “revoke and refrain from granting permits” for genetically modified corn, including imports. The decree from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador published on December 31, 2020 cites protection… Read More
What is old is new again, as former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is headed back to the post he held for eight years under the Obama administration. The Biden-Harris transition team formally announced the former ag secretary and Iowa governor’s nomination to the agriculture position in cabinet on Thursday. Former Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry… Read More
Dairy has become the first issue under the new NAFTA to be challenged with potential enforcement action. As expected, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Wednesday announced it is seeking consultations with Canada regarding the allocation of the dairy tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for market access negotiated in the USMCA. “Canada’s measures violate its commitments… Read More