File photo of medical cannabis in production. (FatCamera/iStock/Getty Images)

Grow facilities now required up front for new cannabis producers

Growers and processors seeking federal licenses to produce and/or process cannabis in Canada will now have to have their proposed sites “fully built” before they even apply. Health Canada announced Wednesday that the change takes effect immediately, saying it would better line up the cannabis sector with the approach the department already follows for approvals

(Aodaodaod/iStock/Getty Images)

Canadian farm exports hit new Chinese obstacles amid diplomatic dispute

Winnipeg/Beijing | Reuters — An expanding list of Canadian farm exports is hitting obstacles at Chinese ports, leaving sellers of soybeans, peas and pork scrambling amid a bitter diplomatic dispute. China has already blocked Canadian canola from Richardson International and Viterra, two of Canada’s biggest farm exporters, saying that shipments had pests. Other China-bound canola




File photo of wheat being loaded onto a bulk vessel at port in Russia. (YGrek/iStock/Getty Images)

Russian agricultural firms raided over suspected tax evasion

Moscow | Reuters — Meat producer Cherkizovo and farming conglomerate Rusagro were among agricultural firms across Russia targeted in a sweeping investigation into suspected tax evasion on Wednesday. The Tax Service said so far five potential breaches had been uncovered in inspections carried out with the Federal Security Service (FSB) at agricultural holdings across 13


A still image taken from CCTV video shows Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg on Jan. 14 in court, where on retrial for drug smuggling he was sentenced to the death penalty in Dalian in China’s Liaoning province. (Photo: CCTV/Reuters TV)

Canola trade on edge over China tensions

Canadian canola exports to China face some uncertainty as concerns mount that political tensions between the two countries could spill into trade. The back-and-forth tariff dispute between the U.S. and China, and resulting decline in Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans, originally led to ideas that Canada would pick up some of the slack with increased

(CIA.gov)

Canada, other countries raise meat inspection bar for Brazil

Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Meat-importing countries from North America to Europe and Asia have tightened inspection standards for shipments from Brazil in a bid to protect consumers, following a probe into possible corruption involving inspectors. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said on Wednesday that the tighter inspection standards it enacted in April have resulted

Sunset in Egypt on the Nile River south of Luxor. (CIA.gov)

Egypt tightens import quarantine rules on grains

Cairo | Reuters — Egypt has tightened its agriculture quarantine regulations, imposing a rule that will prevent grain shipments suspected of contamination from being offloaded until they receive test results, according to a letter sent to traders Monday. The rule comes just one month after the world’s biggest wheat buyer discontinued its controversial zero tolerance


(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canada, China canola talks end without deal

Winnipeg | Reuters — Talks between Canadian and Chinese officials ended in Beijing without China backing down from plans to toughen its inspection standard for canola, threatening $2 billion in Canadian exports of the oilseed ahead of a visit by Canada’s prime minister. Discussions will continue between the two governments, and resolving the issue is

(File photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canada, China meet to solve canola spat as deadline looms

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian officials are in Beijing this week to try to convince China to back off a plan to toughen its standard for Canada’s canola shipments, which has stalled $2 billion in trade, government and industry officials said on Wednesday. China’s quarantine authority AQSIQ told Ottawa in February that it would impose a