Can we eat our way out of climate change? If we all became vegans could we eliminate livestock and put a big dent in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? Those are just some of the questions Dr. Sara Place tackles daily in her job as Elanco Animal Health’s chief sustainability officer. Earlier this week, Place joined… Read More
Exceldor says it’s dealing with 27 positive cases of COVID-19 among employees at the farmer-owned co-op’s poultry processing plant at Blumenort, Manitoba, as of Wednesday afternoon. The facility, which was owned by Granny’s Poultry before Granny’s merged with Exceldor last year, employs around 650 people. “We are dealing with cases of community transmission beyond our… Read More
A Guelph-based company has launched Farm Health Guardian, a real-time disease mitigation technology platform for pork and poultry producers. Brought to market by Be Seen Be Safe Ltd., the system accurately and quickly tracks and shuts down disease spread within minutes of the first report of disease symptoms, the company says. The Farm Health Guardian… Read More
Olymel says work started this week on a $31.5 million expansion at the company’s poultry processing plant at St-Damase, Montérégie, Quebec — east of Montreal. The large pork and poultry processor says it’s adding 35,200 square feet to the poultry plant, which will include a new automated cutting line, three automatic deboning lines and four… Read More
It appears that Eastern Canada is headed for a second wave of COVID-19, and if Western Canada isn’t careful, it could face one too. The pandemic has had a large impact on the meat processing industry, and in order to avoid a second wave and the subsequent potential disruption to the meat supply chain, industry… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says its scientists have confirmed that domestic chickens, turkey, and pigs pose no public health risk for transmitting the virus that causes COVID-19. The CFIA’s research also showed these animals did not carry the virus in tissues used for meat or human consumption. There have been no documented cases… Read More
Before we know it, the end of harvest will be here (we hope we didn’t just jinx it for everyone), and with that comes the community suppers usually meant as fundraisers. Fall suppers or fowl suppers, whatever you call them, serve not only as the place to say hello to your neighbours, friends, family, and… Read More
The National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council has updated the Canadian Livestock Transport (CLT) program to reflect the latest changes to federal livestock transport regulations. The CLT program is a comprehensive training course and support service for livestock truckers, shippers, and receivers. The program offers certification that is recognized throughout Canada and United States…. Read More
Organizers of the Canadian Poultry XPO (CPX) have announced the inaugural event will not go forward this November. Instead, the event will be held November 3-4, 2021, at Stratford, Ont. All payments for exhibit space and sponsorship for CPX 2020 now carry forward to CPX 2021. All exhibitors and sponsors will receive a 10 per… Read More
Elanco Animal Health has received regulatory approval of its acquisition of Bayer Animal Health after agreeing to several anti-trust related conditions. The US$7.6 billion deal was announced in August 2019. As part of its review, Canada’s Competition Bureau found Elanco and Bayer Animal Health are each other’s closest competitors in several markets, specifically in poultry insecticides… Read More
A federal grand jury in a U.S. District Court in Colorado has indicted four current and former senior executives from two major American chicken companies for their role in conspiring to fix prices and rig bids for broiler chickens. “Executives who cheat American consumers, restauranteurs, and grocers, and compromise that integrity of our food supply,… Read More
Chicken Farmers of Canada’s board of directors has adjusted the May to July chicken allocation by 12.6 per cent nationally, to reduce production in an effort to address lower demand for chicken from restaurants and food service providers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decrease in production will be highest in Ontario, Quebec,… Read More
Meat coolers are going to look a lot different as we navigate COVID-19, but according to the Canadian Meat Council, each step of the livestock processing chain is collaborating, communicating, and committed to keeping food moving to grocery stores. Chris White, president and CEO of the Canadian Meat Council, says the livestock processing sector is… Read More
The decision to close a processing plant as it relates to COVID-19 infection of staff is a complicated one. Food processing plants have strict protocols and clear guidance on food safety issues, but the advent of a human disease pandemic is a new territory for all — processors included. Ultimately, the decision to close a… Read More
The packing industry is crucial to the entire food value chain in agriculture and, with that, comes the importance of government inspectors. The question is, what happens if these inspectors contract COVID-19 or if they aren’t able to work due to the risk of contracting the virus? The issue was highlighted with the partial closure… Read More