The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has a new executive, led by a rancher from British Columbia. David Haywood-Farmer of Savona, B.C. assumed the role of president at the CCA’s annual general meeting in Ottawa on Friday, following a two-year term as CCA vice president. The implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is a… Read More
Category: Ag Policy
The federal Liberals introduced new gun-control legislation in the House of Commons this week, and were quick to dismiss any comparisons to the long-gun registry implemented by the party in the ’90s. “It’s absolutely not the same thing. There’s really no parallel even to make,” says Mark Holland, Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Public… Read More
Lobbying can be a repetitive and tiresome job, both in Ottawa and in Washington. Sometimes it can feel like your message is just not getting through to the government like you need it to. Such is the case, it can be said, regarding U.S. agriculture groups pressing its government on the benefits of NAFTA and trade… Read More
The European Commission ‘severely restricted‘ three neonicotinoids — clothiandidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam — in an effort to protect honeybees, but critics say the regulations are doing for the very opposite. “In 2013 the European parliament voted to ban the use of neonics on flowering plant species, because of concerns about bee health,” said Simon Kightley,… Read More
Canada is losing farmland each day. It’s not technically disappearing, mind you, it’s being bought up, levelled, and paved over for new suburbs and shopping malls. It’s also being speculated on, sometimes by surprising buyers — maybe it’s local farmers, but more likely by an investment fund looking to cash in on the seemingly endless… Read More
After a two-week break for MPs, the House of Commons agriculture committee reconvened for an emergency meeting to discuss the grain backlog in Western Canada on Monday. The meeting included presentations from both CN and CP Rail, as well as witnesses representing almost a dozen farm groups and grain shipping companies (see list below). Former… Read More
Simply put, Seed Synergy is described as a process, not an entity. Those familiar with the inner workings of the seed industry have heard about Seed Synergy for quite some time, but those further out — and those on the farm — likely haven’t heard much. As Dan Wright, president of Canadian Seed Trade Association, explains… Read More
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay visited a dairy farm near St-Eugene, Ontario on Monday morning to announce $25 million for the “Agricultural Clean Technology Program.” “This investment will help Canadian farmers stay on the cutting edge of clean technology by targeting developments in bioproducts and precision agriculture,” said the minister. “Our government has made both… Read More
This has been a very challenging winter for grain shipments, to say the least. Much of the finger pointing has been directed at the railways but should more of the blame fall to more than CN and CP? It’s clear operational performance must improve, but the railways have been operating in the environment that they… Read More
Farm groups in Alberta are applauding the provincial government’s effort to advance oil pipelines, thereby taking pressure off the rail freight system. “Team Alberta” sent a letter to Premier Rachel Notley this week expressing support for the Trans Mountain pipeline and other crude oil pipelines. The Trans Mountain line was approved by the federal government… Read More