Fourteen winners and 11 honourable mentions of the Ontario Excellence in Agriculture program were named this past weekend during an awards ceremony held in conjunction with the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair at Toronto, Ont. “I am very proud to present the 2023 Excellence in Agriculture Awards at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, where it is… Read More
Category: Food Processing
It’s the end of an era for a northern Ontario cheese plant, as Gay Lea Foods Co-operative closed the Thornloe Cheese doors on Monday, October 30. The cheese and milk skimming plant has been in operation in some form since the 1940s, and was taken over by the co-op in 2019. Mike Langdon, vice president… Read More
The federal and Saskatchewan governments have announced funding of $5 million for the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre in Saskatoon. The funding, delivered through the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (SCAP), will support the Food Centre’s work to enable the continued growth of value-added revenue and agri-food exports in the province over the next five years…. Read More
The Government of Ontario is launching a new round of the Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative, with support of the federal government’s Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) program. The $10 million program will provide funding to eligible free-standing meat plants and abattoirs to make short-term investments in meat handling and processing equipment, technologies, and practices that… Read More
Fourteen of Ontario’s agriculture organizations are collectively asking the provincial government to pause forward momentum of the proposed Bill 97 and the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement. “We stand in strong opposition to the 3 lot severances per farm parcel proposed in prime agricultural areas as well as other measures that weaken local farmland protection. We… Read More
The federal budget announced earlier this week had a handful of agriculture-related commitments, including $333 million over 10 years for the establishment of the Dairy Innovation and Investment Fund. The fund, set to be administered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is for research and development of new products that use solids non-fat (SNF), market development for… Read More
Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association (ACFA), and the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) have completed a resiliency report for Alberta’s meat processing sector as Part A of the Alberta Beef Competitiveness Study. The competitiveness study, titled “Building Resiliency in Alberta’s Beef Processing Industry,” was inspired by growing interest in diversifying and building capacity… Read More
McCain Foods is making a substantial investment in its Coaldale, Alta. plant, doubling the size of its facility and output. Established in 2000, the potato plant currently employs 225 people. The announced $600 million investment will provide an economic boost for the region that will create 260 new jobs, the company says. Aligned with McCain’s… Read More
Merit Functional Foods has entered receivership while owing approximately $95 million to its two main creditors — Export Development Canada (EDC) and Farm Credit Canada (FCC), according to court documents. A judge on Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench appointed PwC as the receiver for the Winnipeg-based plant protein processing company on March 1. According to… Read More
Update: Merit Functional Foods was placed in receivership on March 1. Read more here. Creditors for Merit Functional Foods are asking the Court of King’s Bench in Manitoba to appoint a receiver for the plant protein processing company. Export Development Canada and Farm Credit Canada have filed an application for the appointment of a receiver,… Read More