File photo of fresh cherries from a roadside fruit stand at Penticton, B.C. (Amy Mitchell/iStock/Getty Images)

New EU import curbs on fruit not Canada-specific

Ottawa | Reuters — New European Union rules that could block shipments of Canadian cherries and other fruits to the 28-nation grouping apply to all countries and “was not unusual,” a senior Canadian official said on Friday. The clarification from federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau came a day after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

(Juanmonino/iStock/Getty Images)

Cannabis edibles clear for legal launch before year-end

Food products containing cannabis are expected to be on the retail market by mid-December at the earliest under new federal regulations announced Friday. Health Canada on Friday announced amendments to the Cannabis Regulations will be published June 26 to come into force Oct. 17, laying out rules for legal production and sale of edible cannabis,


(Bhofack2/iStock/Getty Images)

New federal standard to expand beer ingredient options

More variety in allowable ingredients and more requirements for declarations are now part of the federal rules on what can be called beer in Canada. The federal government on May 1 announced “modernized” beer standards under Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) — the rules laying out the requirements to be met by a product


Overregulation a crushing burden for agri-food sector

A new report says the sector is particularly burdened by red tape

A new report on the cost of overregulation has singled out the agri-food sector for special attention. The report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, titled Death by 130,000 cuts in reference to the number of federal regulations alone, said too much red tape is weakening Canada’s international competitiveness and dampening foreign investment. There are


Aviation firms report Brazil’s use of crop dusters to be rising at a rate of three per cent per year. (Embraer video screengrab via YouTube)

Brazil cracking down on unmonitored agriculture planes

Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian federal prosecutors have demanded civil aviation authorities change regulations to increase oversight of agriculture airplanes such as crop dusters, which they claim can be used to smuggle drugs and agro-chemicals. Prosecutors are calling for the mandatory introduction of a transponder equipment to monitor such planes, and have suggested new

(Photo by Lynn Betts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service)

Industry still looking for new NH3 tank rule break

Fertilizer Canada and the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR) say there will be enough anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks available to supply the fertilizer to farmers during this growing season. New Transport Canada regulations came into force Jan. 12, which affect the frequency of hydrostatic testing and visual inspection of ammonia nurse and applicator tanks and

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Talks wrap on new Canadian internal trade deal

Farm groups across Canada expect a new interprovincial trade agreement to clear paths for more trade in Canadian-grown agrifood and other farmed products within the country, reducing the need for imports. Federal, provincial and territorial ministers on Friday announced they’ve concluded talks on a new Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), which on July 1 will


(MHEby.com)

Livestock transport regulations up for comment

The public can comment until mid-February on proposed new livestock transport regulations which the government says will help Canada line up with international standards and limit how long livestock can go unfed during shipping. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday announced amendments to the federal Health of Animals Regulations dealing with transportation have been

It's time for the province to commission an independent review of Manitoba's vegetable marketing board.

Editorial: Time for a review of Peak

Peak of the Market is back in the news, not that it’s ever very far from it. For example, week in, week out, every issue of the Winnipeg Free Press has a large advertisement with a daily recipe from Peak, each prominently featuring a photo of CEO Larry McIntosh. However, those ads often feature vegetables