Bacteria like this Streptobacillus caught on film through microphotography, are extremely good at evading control measures and developing resistance.

AMR challenge results in new strategy

Weakening bacterial diseases would give animals and humans the opportunity to defeat them on their own

It may be better to knock disease down, instead of out. That’s the heart of a new strategy to treat bacterial diseases in humans and animals, curbing their virulence rather than using antibiotics to wipe out the bacteria that causes them, and possibly contributing to the mushrooming challenge of antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. The goal

pork chops

Meat industry excited about Ukraine trade deal

The deal will eliminate most tariffs for goods moving between the two countries

Lost in the hoopla of signing the Canada-Europe Trade Agreement (CETA), legislation has been introduced to implement a free trade agreement between Canada and Ukraine. When it comes into force, it would immediately eliminate duties on 99.9 per cent of goods imported from Ukraine and would likewise affect 86 per cent of Canadian exports to


Veterinary drug use is going to be subject to new regulations, likely sometime in 2017, says Jane Philpott, federal health minister.

Health Canada edging closer to action on antimicrobial resistance

Use of these products in livestock is likely to be sharply curtailed to protect products important to human health

There’s no hard deadline, but the federal government is going to begin reforming antibiotic use in animals this fall. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott says the government wants to make changes to protect antibiotics that are important to human health. Without change, deaths linked to diseases that become resistant to modern medicines could outstrip those

The CFIA spends much of its time and budget on inspection and regulation of meat-processing plants.

Action finally in sight on CFIA modernization

Changes were first promised more than five years ago 
but were derailed by a federal election

After a five-year gestation period, proposed changes to modernize the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are about to arrive at the delivery room. Speaking to the annual meeting of the Canadian Meat Council, Health Minister Jane Philpott said publication of the changes in the Canada Gazette is imminent. The government publishes proposed regulatory changes in Part


Irradiated ground beef, such as these burger patties, is expected to have a lower potential presence of harmful pathogens such as E. coli.

NFU opposes ground beef irradiation

Irradiation will allow large companies to benefit from regulation and puts up another barrier to smaller packers, the NFU says

The National Farmers Union says Health Canada should kibosh its proposal to allow irradiation of ground beef and improve meat inspection instead. The department should also establish “appropriate and effective regulations that will support a diversified, regional food-processing strategy,” the NFU said. “These actions would increase Canadians’ confidence in meat packers to provide them with

workers cutting beef at a meat-packing plant

Temporary foreign worker program gets reprieve

Employers who have been in the program the longest are being exempted from further 
reductions in the proportion of their workforce that aren’t citizens

Meat, fruit and vegetable processors are welcoming a recent announcement that reductions in the temporary foreign workers programs have been frozen for now. Employment Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk recently said employers registered in the Temporary Foreign Worker Programs (TFWP) prior to June 2014 will be able to continue to use up to 20 per cent non-citizens



James Hofer

VIDEO: Pigs won’t fly — at least not to Europe

Glacier FarmMedia Special Report: The tariff-free quota access could be worth $400 million, but there are other complications

Our March 31, 2016 issue marks the third and final instalment in a series of Special Reports prepared by Glacier FarmMedia reporters on how the Comprehensive Trade and Economic Agreement (CETA) between Canada and Europe will affect Canadian food producers and processors. No load of hogs will ever travel from James Hofer’s Hutterite colony to


As older workers are set to retire, few replacements are to be found. One factor contributing to that is the lack of growth in rural population in Canada.

Agricultural labour shortage will worsen, new report says

Cash receipt losses to Canadian farmers from job vacancies pegged at $1.5 billion, 
or three per cent of the industry’s total value in sales and production

Canadian agriculture’s already acute labour shortage will worsen over the next decade, as high numbers of employees retire and the domestic labour pool continues to dry up. The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council released labour market information (LMI) research last week, showing a gap of 59,000 employees between primary agriculture’s need for workers and those

border lineup (trucks) - Glen Nicoll
051110.12

COOL gone but border irritants remain for meat shipments

Canadian meat trucks are being held up at the border, which is costing time and fees

The United States has removed its country-of-origin labelling program but has found another way to delay shipments of Canadian meat, says Jim Laws, president of the Canadian Meat Council. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay needs to intervene in the dispute, which puts Canadian exporters at a great cost disadvantage compared to U.S. companies shipping meat to