News

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) confirms that pork from one Canadian pork establishment have been temporarily suspended after Chinese officials . say a shipment of frozen pork products tested positive for the presence of Ractopamine.

This makes three Canadian pork processors currently blocked from shipping to China. The first two sites — one in Quebec and one in Alberta — were cited for labeling issues.

Ractopamine is a feed additive. Currently, it’s banned from use in several countries. Ractopamine is approved by Health Canada, however, Canadian pork that market to federally licensed processing facilities do not use the additive.

The CPC says that Canadian pork producers do not use Ratopamine to raise hogs and ensure their animals do not come in contact with the product through the Canadian Ractopamine-Free Pork Certification Program. This assurance is provided through thorough record keeping and routine audits at the farm and on-farm feed mill, commercial feed mill, and federally inspected slaughterhouse. All parties share the responsibility in establishing and maintaining this assurance and have confidence in the program.

“Our industry partners, the affected establishment and CFIA are working with Chinese authorities to better understand the details of the case of a positive Ractopamine test,” says a CPC representative in an email. “A comprehensive review of this situation is being conducted by CIFA and we are awaiting the details of investigation.”

The Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) have won the inaugural Excellence in Agriculture Awards from the Government of Ontario.

According to a news release, the award recognizes agri-food businesses, individuals and organizations that have raised the bar for agri-food excellence, demonstrated leadership in their field, undertaken strategic product development benefiting their sector, or advanced technological innovation.

“Ontario’s agri-food sector is a driving force for innovation and economic growth in the province,” says Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Agri-food organizations like the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario are always pushing boundaries and expanding economic opportunities. What I particularly like about their Farmer-led Research Program is that the research findings are publicly shared, so everyone can benefit.”

Three years ago the EFAO started its Farmer-led Research Program. The program is designed to help farmers conduct research to help them improve or adopt ecological practices on their farm and once completed, research is shared at the EFAO’s annual Farmer-led Research Symposium and posted online so others can learn from the outcomes.

“This award recognizes the importance of a farmer-led approach to address some of the big environmental and agricultural challenges we face,” says Ali English, EFAO executive director. “EFAO’s Farmer-Led Research Program helps farmers combine their curiosity with research to answer their most challenging on-farm questions.”

According to English, since the program started, more than 30 farmers have received funding and support to conduct 44 on-farm research trials.

“(This is) helping farmers innovate and adopt farming practices that benefit their farms as well as our soils, environment, and local communities,” she adds.

The farmer-led research program is open for applications from any farmer interested in testing the effects of innovative ecological practices on their farm. The focus can be on horticulture, field crops, livestock or perennials.

The recipients of the Excellence in Agriculture Award were chosen by a committee of agri-food sector leaders. The awards recognize innovation for one primary producer, one processor, and one agri-food organization, and gives honorary mention to an additional six innovations.

The Ontario agri-food sector contributes over $38 billion to the local economy and employs one in eight Ontarians.

If you decide to dine at KFC in Canada, a may notice a new label showing up on its products. Announced today, Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) will be partnering with KFC Canada to feature the “Raised by a Canadian Farmer” seal on food sold by the restaurant.

CFC says the seal not only represents the bird was raised by a Canadian farmer, but that it also stands for a three-fold set of standards being: Animal Care, ensuring chicken health and welfare on farms; On-Farm Food Safety, emphasizing cleanliness, safety and biosecurity on farms; and Sustainability, committing to sustainability efforts and farm land preservation.

“The Raised by a Canadian Farmer brand is synonymous with origin and quality and is a symbol for the innovation, pride, and hard work that Canadian chicken farmers put in every day,” says Benoît Fontaine, chair of the CFC. “For years, KFC Canada has demonstrated to the world that chicken partners throughout the Canadian value chain are committed to delivering on consumer expectations for food safety, animal care, and sustainability excellence.”

The new seal will start to appear on the restaurants products and social media platforms in the coming weeks.

“KFC Canada stands behind its chicken quality and taste credentials and we’re proud to serve chicken that Canadians trust and love, from our classic Original Recipe buckets to our boneless Tenders,” says Nivera Wallani, president and general manager, KFC Canada. “Featuring the Chicken Farmers of Canada Raised by a Canadian Farmer seal on our products demonstrates and reinforces not only our support for Canadian chicken farmers, but our commitment to serving chicken raised with industry-leading animal welfare, food safety and sustainability practices.”

According to the Chicken Farmers of Canada’s 2016 Sustainability Report, 80 per cent of Canadians say they trust farmers. Additionally, 77 per cent say they trust Canadian raised chicken seals coming directly from farmers rather than manufactures or retailers.

“KFC Canada appreciates that Canadian consumers not only have a vested interest in where their food comes from, but the values in which a restaurant upholds,” added Wallani.

In a move said to increase transparency, customer engagement, and sustainability, Bayer AG has announced a series of measures to address concerns recently raised as the company took over Monsanto last year.

“We will continue to advance our standard, driven by our commitment to a better life for this generation and generations to come,” says Werner Baumann, chairman of the board of management of Bayer AG.

The company recently announced more than $7.5 billion earmarked for “new solutions” over the next decade to offer “more choice” to its customers,  though specifically says it does not intend to steer away from glyphosate.

“This R&D investment will go towards improving the understanding of resistance mechanisms, discovering and developing new modes of actions, further developing tailored integrated weed management solutions, and developing more precise recommendations through digital farming tools. In addition, partnerships with weed scientists around the world will be enhanced to help develop customized solutions for farmers at a local level,” a news release states.

The company also plans on reducing its environmental impact by 30 per cent come the year 2030. It will achieve this by developing new technologies, scaling down crop protection volumes, and enabling more precise application.

Progress will be measured by the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) and comparing it against the current market standards. The EIQ started back in 90’s by Cornell University in the U.S. as it takes the volume to toxicity and therefore represents a more meaningful measuring system than volume only.

In the coming months, Bayer will piloting a program that invites scientists, journalists, and NGO representatives to participate in its scientific preparation for the upcoming EU glyphosate re-registration process.

Bayer also announced the company will only sell crop protection products in developing countries that meet both the safety standards of that local market and the safety standards of a majority of countries with well-developed programs to regulate crop protection products. For the past seven years, Bayer has stopped selling all products that were considered acute toxicity class 1 by the World Health Organization, regardless of whether they were allowed in a particular market.