The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported an outbreak of avian influenza in a commercial poultry flock in Lambton County.
A quarantrine zone is in effect.
That brings the total of active cases in Ontario to 10 and euthanization of 1,107,000 birds.
The Canadian Food inspection Agency reported five cases of rabies in bats and one in a rrd fox during February.
That is more than half the Canadian total of 10.
Carney axes capital gains tax hike
Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government will cancel the proposal to hike to the capital gains tax.
"Cancelling the hike in capital gains tax will catalyze investment across our communities and incentivize builders, innovators and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses in Canada," Carney said in a statement.
Had the changes gone through, individuals with annual capital gains over $250,000 would have had two-thirds of those gains taxed. Two-thirds of all capital gains earned by corporations and trusts would also have been taxed.
The current tax rate is 50 per cent of the capital gains.
The statement also said the government will maintain its increase in the lifetime capital gains exemption limit to $1.25 million "on the sale of small business shares and farming and fishing property."
A federal judge has upheld Iowa’s law barring trespassers from using cameras or recording devices to investigate livestock facilities, dismissing a challenge from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and an Iowa citizens’ group.
Chief U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose ruled that the law serves Iowa’s interest in protecting property rights and privacy while allowing other legal means for advocacy. The decision follows a remand from the Eighth Circuit, which had upheld most of the law but allowed a challenge to the provision restricting the use of recording devices.
Plaintiffs argued the law suppresses whistleblowing and public discourse, while the court found it appropriately tailored to prevent unauthorized surveillance. The plaintiffs are considering an appeal.
Newly-appointed federal Agriculture Minister Kody Blois is kicking the Canadian Food Inspection Agency into action on long-standing import fraud with chicken imports falsely called spent fowl that skip out of tariffs.
David McGuinty is also involving the Canadian Border Services Agency he oversees.
Chicken Farmers of Canada has complained for years about the fraud and even showed the government how it could use DNA testing to stop it.
At times imports of spent fowl have exceeded the entire United States population of spent fowl.
The imports take Canadian markets that belong to Canadian producersl
“The issue of spent fowl misrepresentation is one that demands decisive action,” said Blois.
“This is fraud and it undermines consumers, our farmers, distorts our markets, and puts Canadian jobs at risk.,” Blois and McGuinty said in a joint news release.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended the licence for Booby Food of Calgary.
The CFIA said the company failed to comply with standards for sanitation and prevention and for trading across provincial and national borders.
The company dries and freezes breast milk.
Kody Blois has axed a number of Canadian Food Inspection rules and regulations to make Canadians more competitive with the United States.
It is one of the first things he did after new Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed him agriculture minister.
One of the regulations that will go is the requirement to remove specified risk material from cattle carcasses, a rule that came into effect when bovine spongiform encephalitis was discovered in the brain of a cow that died in Alberta in May, 2003.
Canadian farmers and meat packers have long lobbied for an end to the regulation which puts them at a competitive disadvantage with the United States. It is estimated to increase their costs by $31.7 million a year.
“We know that is a crucial time right now for Canadian farmers and we have to be doing everything in our control to reduce costs,” Blois said in a video posted on X.
The CFIA will also be speeding product approvals to provide alternatives to U.S.-sourced animal feed. The move was touted to alleviate tariff pressures on feed producers by making more feed ingredients available in Canada or from other countries.
Blois said the CFIA will also address “stakeholder irritants” through regulatory changes. Canada will explore increasing the maximum slaughter age for feeder cattle to 40 weeks from 36.
Harmonizing Canadian testing requirements for salmonella at hatcheries with U.S. regulations is also in the works.
Blois said “outdated prescriptive requirements” would be removed regarding labeling requirements for fresh fruit and vegetables. The CFIA will also continue to work on modernizing fruit and vegetable grades.