Ottawa — Grain drying costs an average of $210 to $819 per farm in carbon taxes, according to federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. Her department used data provided by grower groups – including Manitoba’s Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) – to arrive at the figures. The federal estimate
Carbon pricing not having ‘significant impact’ on grain drying, Bibeau says
Conservatives, ag groups dispute government's numbers
Food and beverage sector misunderstood by regulators
Food-processing plants were designed with food safety in mind, not social distancing
Officials from Food and Beverage Canada told a parliamentary committee that the COVID-19 pandemic shows there is a “fundamental misunderstanding of how Canada’s food system operates” among senior policy-makers. The comments were made during a digital meeting of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food on May 8. James Donaldson, who sits on the board
Comment: Risk management reform possible
A report from a leading accounting firm suggests a path forward on this issue
Among the long list of complaints to government from producers in recent months, their concern over business risk management programs has been the most consistent. Other grievances remain. The carbon tax is an irritant, but the now-futile campaign against it has lost steam throughout the pandemic. Lack of labour and access to foreign trade markets
Pandemic may strain rural community resources, panel warns
Enthusiasm for telecommuting could later benefit rural areas, if 'digital divide' can be bridged
The COVID-19 pandemic, and Canada’s response to it, have highlighted how rural communities need different strategies than their urban counterparts to provide social services on which the public relies. The Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph hosted a virtual panel in May to discuss COVID-19’s social impacts, in which researchers from a variety
COVID concerns weigh on chicken farmers, processors
Sales crashed on lack of foodservice business
Ottawa — Chicken Farmers of Canada say they’ve faced a “sharp decline” in sales as a result of a significant drop in food services, which represents roughly 40 per cent of their market. CFC chair Benoît Fontaine warned federal MPs as much during a virtual meeting of the Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food
Ag committee hears CERB hurting employers
The extra income allowed discourages recipients from seeking work
Members of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food heard from industry leaders May 15 about the challenges brought on by the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). CERB is available to Canadians who have stopped working because of COVID-19 and provides temporary income support of $500 a week for up to 16 weeks. Ron
Opinion: CERB debate should prompt reflection of ongoing labour issues
If food employees are so important, why are they paid so poorly?
The new coronavirus pandemic is revealing a fundamental problem with our society — thousands of essential workers don’t make nearly enough money. The question is, how to fix that? It’s worth debating whether that responsibility should fall to private employers or the government, which has already launched a basic income in all but name. The
New pilot program for agri-food labour welcomed
Meat processors, greenhouse and mushroom growers, livestock producers get first crack at program
Ottawa — Federal officials hope a new pilot program will help stabilize ongoing labour issues in certain sectors of the agri-food value chain, while also providing citizenship to some foreign workers. Critics, however, contend more support is needed. “This pilot will help to ensure that farmers and processors have the much-needed skills, experience and labour
Sollio outlines pandemic recovery plan for food sector
Support sought for automation, digitization, telecommunications
Ottawa — One of Canada’s largest agri-food companies has laid out a five-point industry recovery plan for federal politicians to consider. During a meeting Tuesday of the Commons standing committee on finance, the president of Quebec-based Sollio Co-operative Group shared plans to limit consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agrifood supply chain. Sollio employs
Two national campaigns launched for food supply chains
It's good, one campaign says, but could the sector have done better, another asks
Ottawa — The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity is launching a new campaign to inform consumers on how the food system works. “It’s Good, Canada” will share personal stories of Canadians working across the food supply chain and provide information about farming, transportation, processing, retail and production on its website. “It’s natural for Canadians to
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
