Canadian livestock groups headed home from Geneva last week expressing confidence about winning a World Trade Organization challenge to the U.S. country-of-origin food labelling rule. Both the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Pork Council said they were satisfied Canada presented a WTO dispute panel with a strong case against COOL during the second and
WTO Arguments In COOL Case Wrap Up
Stall-Free Petition Tops 10,000 Signatures
Bill McDonald hauled a garbage bag half full of paper into the deputy agriculture minister’s office last week to press his case against sow gestation stalls in Manitoba. The bag contained petitions carrying over 10,000 signatures demanding the province pass laws to eliminate the stalls. “We thought it was significant to show the government physically
Risk Of Unseeded Acres Looms Again For 2011
Western Canada could see a lot of unseeded cropland again next year because of an excessively wet summer and a possible snowy winter. Up to five million acres in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta could go unseeded in 2011 because of wet conditions, said Bruce Burnett, Canadian Wheat Board director of weather and market analysis. It’s
Canada Gets Foot In EU Beef Door
An agreement giving Canada access to an EU beef import quota could provide a beachhead for increased Canadian beef sales to Europe. Canada will have duty-free access to a 20,000- tonne quota for hormone-free beef exports to the EU which could be worth $10 million a year, according to the Canadian Beef Export Federation. More
DFAA For Farmers Not On The Table: Toews
Farmers wanting compensation for damage to agricultural operations from natural disasters will have to get provinces to ask Ottawa for it, says Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. So far, that hasn’t happened, Toews said. “That has not been raised with me specifically,” he said after speaking to the Association of Manitoba Municipalities annual convention last
Province Increases Wildlife Damage Compensation
Manitoba farmers will soon be able to claim full reimbursement for wildlife damage to losses to crops and livestock. The Manitoba government says it will restore 100 per cent compensation for damage from wildlife predation. The coverage was previously lowered in 2005 under the federal-provincial Agriculture Policy Framework agreement. The province made the announcement Nov.
Turkey Flu Costs Manitoba Producer Big Time
AManitoba turkey breeder faces losing up to a year’s income after an avian influenza virus was detected on his farm. The producer’s birds have been destroyed, his barn must be disinfected and it’ll be months before he can get back into production, said Bill Uruski, Manitoba Turkey Producers chairman. “For this producer, he has lost
Premise ID Mess Drags Down Livestock Traceability
Agovernment -imposed 2011 deadline for livestock traceability in Canada looks increasingly unattainable because of “dysfunctional” premise identification. Provinces are all over the map on premise ID, which pinpoints the locations of livestock farms and is one of the three key elements in livestock traceability. Some provinces are making headway while others have hardly begun. “If
Flood Aid For Cattle Producers Still Pending
Federal officials remain tight lipped about an emergency aid package for flooded Manitoba cattle producers as winter closes in on an industry already short of feed. “We’re working just as hard and quickly as we can,” was all Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz would say during a Nov. 19 stopover in Winnipeg as the first snowstorm
Pork Package Creates Livestock Insurance Precedent
Aproposed model to insure pork producers against death losses in their herds could be a long-awaited breakthrough for livestock production insurance in Canada. The Canadian Swine Health Board hopes to have an all-peril mortality insurance product ready for producers in 2011. The package would cover death losses from disease, fire, equipment failure, adverse weather or
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