(Todd Rosenberg photo via KraftFoodsGroup.com)

Canada, U.S. to collaborate on food safety controls

Food safety officials in Canada and the U.S. have formally recognized each other’s respective food safety controls under a cross-border co-operation pact. The two countries last week announced their new food safety systems recognition arrangement, reached during meetings of the Canada-U.S. Regulatory Co-operation Council (RCC) held Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, D.C. The two countries

Confusion around CFIA budget cuts

Budget cuts at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency won’t weaken food safety protection, says Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “Food safety is a priority for this government,” Ritz told the Commons agriculture committee, adding a big chunk of the planned cost cutting will come from the winding down of the listeria inquiry into the 2008 tainted


Hiring uninsured contractors on the farm risky

Hiring contractors who are not covered by your province’s workers’ compensation might save a little money but it could ruin your farm business. Helping farmers and ranchers reduce the risks in their operations is the core message of the theme Plan • Farm • Safety, a three-year focus for the Canadian agricultural safety campaign. In

Learn from every safety incident on the farm

Farming and ranching can be a dangerous occupation. That’s why it is so important to track and check each safety incident and learn from it — so that you can prevent it from happening again. The Canadian Agricultural Injury Reporting program (CAIR) reports an average of 115 people are killed by farm-related incidents every year,


Proper Fit Is Key To Respiratory Safety

Disposable particulate respirators are being made available free through provincial farm safety agencies to help farmers plan for safety on their farms. However, if you wear a respirator improperly, then you might as well have none at all. So the key message is to think ahead, have a respirator handy, and know how to use

Farm Safety Audits Made Easy

header photos courtesy of canadian agricultural safety association Farm safety audits need not be a daunting task. For many, the hard part seems to be actually getting started. However everyone benefits from a farm safety audit by having a safer home and workplace – and it is easier than you think. “Plan Farm Safety” is


Throne speech light on details for farmers

“We will invest billions of dollars in renewable energy sources, including biofuels, wind, solar, geothermal and tidal power.” – Prime Minister Stephen Harper Agriculture got more mention than usual in the throne speech and the first remarks by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the start of the new Parliament last week, but with scant few