Puratone, Big Sky in receivership

Industry observers are worried processors could soon be scrambling for hogs as two of Canada’s largest producers tipped over the financial ledge last week and governments refused to ride to the rescue. “Obviously the challenge that we currently face is producers are exiting the business,” Jason Manness, director of procurement at Maple Leaf Foods said

Canada rejects U.S., Kiwi hog claims

Martin Rice says hog industry support programs aren’t subsidies Grumbling by the United States and New Zealand about subsidies for Canadian hog farmers doesn’t match the reality of a declining Canadian swine herd. Recent media reports quoted American and Kiwi farm or political spokesmen suggesting the upcoming Trans-Pacific Pact trade talks would be a good


Still waiting for the U.S. to respond to COOL ruling

The pivotal day in getting action on a ruling by the World Trade Organization that U.S. American country-of-origin labelling (COOL) program discriminates against Canadian livestock is shaping up to be Oct. 2. That’s the day when the WTO will impose a deadline for the U.S. to amend the offensive provisions in COOL, says John Masswohl,

WTO conclusion tests U.S. commitment to international trade deals

The U.S. commitment to fair trade will be put to the test by the World Trade Organization ruling that the American country-of-origin labelling (COOL) measure discriminates against Canadian livestock and is inconsistent with international trade rules. The late-June decision shouldn’t have come as a surprise based on last fall’s WTO panel ruling against the U.S. measure. Stalling for


Pork exports expected to rise

Demand for Canadian pork products from South Korea may be slowing down, but the total volume of exports is still expected to remain steady, to slightly higher in calendar year 2012. South Korea imported a lot of Canadian pork products in 2011 following that country’s outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease — but it’s not expected to

Farm groups offer cautious support to Europe trade deal

As a posse of Harper cabinet ministers and MPs fanned out across the country to round up support for a free trade deal with Europe (CETA), several farm groups offered carefully worded backing for more trans-Atlantic trade. However, as the details of the trade deal are still being negotiated, the groups carefully stuck to the


Travel, trade and local markets

It was no surprise to learn last week that our federal minister of agriculture has racked up $271,000 in travel expenses since March 2011, the most of anyone in the federal cabinet. But unlike some of his colleagues, whose expense accounts have raised eyebrows among Canadians and howls of protest from opposition critics, we expect




Letters — for Feb. 2, 2012

Are court cases really baseless Mr. Ritz? It was really quite funny to watch the minister of agriculture strut around in front of his flock at the recent Western Canadian Wheat Growers conference. He used his bully pulpit to call the recent court cases, against his government implementing legislation dismantling of the Canadian Wheat Board’s