Dutch upper house rejects ritual slaughter ban

Reuters — The Dutch upper house, the Senate, has rejected a bill that would have banned the ritual slaughter of animals and had been criticized by both Muslim and Jewish groups. The bill, proposed by the small Party for the Animals, stipulates that livestock must be stunned before being slaughtered, contrary to Muslim halal and




Gardeners beware!

Did you realize those veggies you plant are a scary lot? Don’t mess with those bad-tempered radishes, for instance. They can get pretty hot. The cabbage heads are so dense there’s no way you can smarten them up. Nor can you subdue those egotistical muscle men of the garden, the onions — they are that


Recipe Swap, June 14, 2012

Raisin kids Send cookies to camp — but none with raisins, please! That’s a recent plea to those baking for the soon-to-arrive young campers at Rock Lake United Church Camp near Crystal City this summer. All cookies disappear in an instant out there, but apparently not the ones with raisins. What is it with kids

Crop holding its own as rainy weather continues

Provincial Summary:  Seeding progress in Manitoba is estimated to be 98 per cent complete. Some reseeding is still occurring.  Generally, the condition of most crop types is rated as good.  Heavy rains in some areas of Manitoba have resulted in ponding and saturated soil conditions, mainly in the lower and poorly drained areas of the



Fuzzy ending stocks picture supports canola values

Canola prices at the ICE Futures Canada trading platform closed the week ended June 8 on a firmer footing. Canola was underpinned by the need of domestic processors to cover nearby commitments and by the general strength displayed by the Chicago soybean complex. Growing concern about the tight global oilseed ending stocks picture, for this


Government putting finishing touches on new food-safety act

CFIA wants feedback on inspection changes The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is seeking feedback on its plans to streamline food-safety inspection to put more emphasis on risk management. The agency has posted background information and directions on its website www.inspection.gc.ca on how individuals, groups and associations can comment on the plans, first announced in the

Emergency registration for Confine

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has approved the request by a number of provinces, including Manitoba, for an amendment to the registration of Confine, a fungicide for the suppression of late blight and pink rot in potatoes, the latest potato bulletin from Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives states. The emergency registration is in