Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay (Cardigan, PEI) and International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) announced that South Korea has lifted its temporary ban on imports of beef and veal from Canada, effective December 30, 2015. Imports of Canadian beef and veal were temporarily suspended in response to the February 2015 detection of an isolated case of … Read more
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay (Cardigan, PEI) and the Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Pierre Paradis, announced the creation of a new program to enhance the full economic potential of the various agri-food sectors. More specifically, the purpose of the new Sectoral Development Program is to help the stakeholders of the agri-food sector work together to … Read more
The Government of Canada announced a series of new programs and initiatives for supply-managed producers and processors to support them throughout the implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Canada-EU Trade Agreement. Under both agreements, the three pillars of the supply management system will remain protected. The full release is available online. Call 613-773-7972.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) announced that the Canadian Wheat Board has finalized the commercialization deal with G3 Global Grain Group and has become a fully private and global competitor in the Canadian grain sector. This follows the planned investment deal announced in April 2015. The full release is available online. Call 613-773-1059.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) issued a statement calling for an outright repeal of U.S. Country of Origin Labelling (COOL): “Senators Hoeven and Stabenow’s proposal in no way reflects Canada’s voluntary labelling regime – any suggestion of this is blatantly false. A voluntary regime as they propose does not require legislation. Should the U.S. … Read more
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) announced $2.5 million in funding to Bonduelle Research Inc., to introduce a new food preservation technology which prolongs the shelf-life of vegetables making them safer to consume longer after they are harvested. The full release is available online. Call 613-773-1059.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) released a list of designated regions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba where tax deferrals have been authorized for 2015. The designation allows livestock producers in prescribed drought regions who are facing feed shortages to defer a portion of their 2015 sale proceeds of breeding livestock for one year in … Read more
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) and International Trade Minister Ed Fast (Abbotsford, B.C.) announced that the Government of Canada has opened the Ukrainian market for beef (from cattle under 30 months) and ready-to-eat meat. This new market access marks a significant milestone for Canada following the lifting of Ukraine’s ban on Canadian beef products in 2014. Last week, Prime Minister … Read more
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask.) announced that the Crop Logistics Working Group (CLWG) has completed its final report, identifying ways to improve the grain handling and transportation system across Canada. The working group was chaired by Mr. Murdoch MacKay and brought together over 18 agriculture organizations from across the grain sector. This report is a … Read more
Federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers wrapped up their annual meeting with commitments to ongoing coordinated activity to boost competitiveness. During their meeting, they discussed a variety of issues, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, efforts to reduce interprovincial trade barriers, the Growing Forward 2 agricultural policy framework, changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, bee health, and the Safe Food for Canadians … Read more
