Judge certifies farmers beef price-fixing lawsuit

 

A federal judge has certified a nation-wide class-action lawsuit for farmers who claim beef packers conspired to lower prices for their csttle.

The judge dismissed U.S. Premium Beef shareholders from the lawsuit,  but certified it against Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill and National Beef for cattle they bought between June 1, 2015, and Feb. 29, 2020.

The judge refused certification for traders and suppliers of feeder cattle.

He rejected a motion from the packers to have expert witness Dr. Basil Lamb dismissed from testifying for the farmers.

Ten fire departments fight barn fire

 

Ten fire departments from Huron and Bruce counties fought a barn fire in South Bruce Friday.

Nobody was injured during the response to the barn on Concession Road 4 and Sideroad 25 near Teeswater.

The fire destroyed two structures filled with hay and straw. No livestock were lost.

The Ontario Provincial Police said the fire is being investigated as suspicious.

Loblaws sales, profits increase

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. reported a 4.1 per cent increase in sales and a profit of $751 million compared with $714 million for the second quarter of its fiscal year.

Sales were $15.3 billion.

Same-store sales increased by only 1.6 per cent which is less than food inflation measured by Statistics Canada.

Canadian whey exports to U.S. to be tariffed

 

Canadian exports of whey and similar dairy proteins to the United States are scheduled to be hit with a 50 per cent tariff on Aug. 19.

President Donald Trump repeated attacks on Canada’s supply management system for dairy and poultry when he signed the new executive order.

Canada is exporting about $200 million worth of dairy proteins to the U.S., most of it whey.

There is keen demand for protein foods, much of it stemming from the injection of GLP products to reduce weight and control diabetes.

Canada ‘s dairy industry has long sought markets for skim milk powders and whey and before it discovered a way to export to the U.S., was selling its surplus as feed for calves and other livestock.

AGCO sales down 19.7 per cent

 

Farmers are tightening their belts and are reducing new machinery purchases, prompting AGCO to adjust production and dealer inventories.

Its sales in North America were down by 17.9 per cent for its second fiscal quarter and by 15 per cent for the first half of the year.

It fared better on world-wide totals which were down by only one per cent in the second quarter.

“While near-term market conditions are difficult, we are confident in the strategic actions we have taken to strengthen AGCO's competitive position and are committed to executing our Farmer-First strategy, expanding technology adoption and creating long-term value for our shareholders,” said Eric Hansotia, AGCO's chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Feds promise $50 million

The federal government is promising to give National Products Canada $50 million to support investments in food manufacturing.

The government set up National Products Canada in 2015 as a non-profit organization. So far it has invested $11.9 million in early-stage ventures.

CFIA cancel, suspends licences

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has cancelled the licence of Dan Gifts Inc. of Laval, Que.

It said the company failed on the following points:

 

• Identification and analysis of hazards;
• Complaints, recall and traceability procedures;
• Failure to give assistance to the inspector;
• Failure to provide the requested documents, information and access to data.

It also suspended the licence of Montreal Pita Inc.

It cited sanitation, biosecurity and biocontainment; pest control, and implementation of a preventive control plan.

Bacon on recall

 

A Maple Leaf Foods subsidiary in Illinois is recalling about 12,000 pounds of bacon because it was not presented for re-inspection by United States officials.

The products were produced in Canada and were intended for distribution throughGrocery Outlet in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. 

Growmark buys Haley’s Elevator

Central Ontario FS, a retail division of GROWMARK Inc., has bought Haley’s Elevator Inc. of Burford.

The elevator will provide grain marketing services to Brant, Norfolk and Oxford counties.

“This strategic acquisition represents a key step in the continued growth of our grain elevator system. It enhances our ability to serve growers in the region and reinforces our commitment to providing trusted, local solutions backed by the strength of our co-operative network,” the companies said in a joint news release.

The family-owned elevator services corn, soybeans, rye and soft red wheat.

The elevator has a storage capacity of 1.4 million bushels, with a receiving capability of 25,000 bushels per hour and a drying capacity of 3,600 bushels per hour of corn at a 10-point moisture removal.

Beef farmers announce $2,500 scholarship

 The Beef Farmers of Ontario is setting up an annual $2

,500 scholarship on honour of Dr. Ira Mandell.

The first winner is PhD student Madeline McLellan who will research beef rations and the impact on carcass qualify.

The Dr. Mandell Beef Research Award will recognize exceptional research that advances knowledge, innovation and sustainability.

The BFO said throughout his career, Dr. Mandell made significant contributions to beef production and meat-quality research, education and critical research infrastructure. 

He played an influential role in developing the Ontario Beef Research Centre, helped modernize the University’s meat research

facilities and served as an advisor to BFO’s Research Committee for more than 20 years. 

He helped shape research priorities that continue to benefit Ontario beef farmers.

“Dr. Mandell understood the importance of connecting academic research with the practical needs of beef farmers and the broader industry,” said BFO president Jason Leblond.

“This award is a fitting way to recognize his remarkable legacy while encouraging emerging researchers to pursue innovative work that will benefit Ontario’s beef sector for years to come,” Leblond said.

McLellan’s research examines how supplementation with guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) and rumen-protected methionine affects muscle energy metabolism, feed efficiency and beef quality.

Her findings could help Ontario beef farmers improve productivity, manage production costs and continue delivering high-quality beef to consumers, BFO said.

The research may also support the future approval of GAA as a feed ingredient for beef cattle in Canada, potentially providing producers

with an additional science-based nutritional tool.

“Madeline’s research is a great example of the practical, industry-focused work this award was created to recognize,” said Kim Jo Bliss, chair of BFO’s research Ccmmittee. 

“Her work could help farmers improve feed efficiency and animal performance while continuing to produce high-quality

beef. It reflects Dr. Mandell’s commitment to research that addresses real-world challenges and

delivers practical value for Ontario beef farmers.”

                           -30-

 

U.S. farm subsidies climb again

Farm subsidies are poised to increase to $55.4 billion US ($78 billion Cdn) this year, provided politicians approve the current ask for $11 billion.

Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, said this additional money is meant to be a springboard, not a new floor for government support.

The administration is requesting $10 billion in temporary economic assistance for 2026 row crop and specialty crop producers and $1.1 billion for producers hit by catastrophic freeze losses this past winter

If approved, that money would come on top of the $44.3 billion in government payments USDA’s Economic Research Service has estimated for farmers this year. Combined, that would total $55.4 billion.

Whatever happened to the Uruguay Round trade agreement to cap farm subsidies? Could Canadians impose countervailing duties - or at least threaten to do so as a counter to Trump's tariff threats?

Pollution closes beaches

All beaches in Huron County are currently unsafe for swimming, according to the latest testing from Huron Perth Public Health.

The health units did not say whether the pollution is from flooded municipal sewage treatment plants or from manure runoff from farms.

After taking water samples on Wednesday, the HPPH team said all of the 13 beaches tested showed higher than acceptable bacteria levels.

Cautions against swimming have been posted at Amberley, Ashfield, Port Albert, Sunset, Goderich Main, St. Christopher's, Rotary Cove, Blacks Point, Pavilion Road, Hay, Port Blake, Bayfield Pier, and Howard Street beaches.

The Health Unit says those who swim risk being exposed to bacteria that may cause diarrhea or infections of ears, nose, throat, eyes, and skin. 

Updates from water sampling will be posted soon.

Dutch offer cash to retire farmers

The Dutch government has set aside $1.2 billion to pay farmers to retire.

The fund aims to reduce nitrogen manure pollution.

The measure is open to micro, small and medium-sized livestock farms raising dairy cattle, pigs, chickens, turkeys, veal calves, dairy goats, rabbits, meat ducks and other cattle. 

Priority will be given to farms located in areas where nitrogen levels are high.

Eligible participants will receive direct grants covering between 100 and 110 per cent of eligible costs, providing a strong financial incentive for producers who decide to cease operations permanently. The programme will remain in force for five years.

I know some farmers who have moved to Canada because they were frustrated by changing environmental regulations mainly related to manure.

Beef plant closure hits Ontario hard

JBS USA announced it is closing its beef-packing plant at Souderton, Pennsylvania, leaving 2,300 weekly marketings from Ontario looking for a new home.

There aren’t many in Ontario which is dominated by the Cargill plant in Guelph. Norwich Packers and Ontario Halal Meat Packers of Milton are possibilities for small volumes.

Beef Farmers of Ontario president Jason Leblond of Powassan said the scheduled closure “is concerning for Ontario’s beef sector” but that the organization “will continue working to understand the impacts … and advocate for solutions that maintain strong market access and competitive pricing.”

Food systems analyst Kevin Grier said in an online post that no other states within the region have anywhere near the slaughtering capacity of Pennsylvania.

“While it is easy to see why the U.S. and the western Canadian industry sloughed off the news, it is a concern for Ontario. Ontario cattle feeders might be the only ones in North America that are worried about Souderton.”

Beef packers have been losing money on every animal slaughtered this summer and the Pennsylvania plant Is not the only one that has closed.

Dairy industry applauds Trump’s tariffs

 

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the United States Dairy Export Council (USDEC) have issued a joint statement strongly supporting the President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian dairy imports.

Trump has signed the executive order, but paused implementation until late August.

The tariff aims to gain easier access to the Canadian market.

Trump and the dairy industry have persistently complained about the way Canada administers import quotas.

The Canadian organizations that speak for dairy farmers want Canada to hold firm.

Mandatory COOL not dead

Despite repeated losses in trade decisions, the United States has leading politicians still lobbying for mandatory country-of-origin labelling of meat products.

Among them is Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, R-CALF which lobbies for ranchers and Republican Senator Mike Rounds from South Dakota.

It’s in this context that the The Meat Institute has declared its opposition to a reinstatement of the 2013 Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling .

In a release to media, the Meat Institute cited a new economic analysis by Decision Innovation Solutions that concluded such labeling measures would cost the economy $1 billion via increased expenses for ranchers, processors, retailers and consumers.

Details from the study included the following arguments:

 

• Compliance costs associated with tracking, record keeping, product segregation, labeling and verification would substantially increase costs throughout the beef and pork value chains.

• Those costs would total $1.02 billion for year one ($721 million in beef and $296 million in pork), and would escalate to $4.8 billion through five years and $10.1 billion through 10 years.

• Costs would be passed to consumers, who would pay $835 million more annually for beef and $284 million more for pork.

• Compliance costs for retailers would be $488 million the first year and $5 billion over 10 years.

• Finally, with ground beef’s dependency on imported lean beef, mCOOL compliance costs would range between $202 million and $688 million.

Julie Anna Potts, Meat Institute president and chief executive officer, said the study “proves there are real and significant costs to mCOOL,” adding that the regulation “would burden both packers and livestock producers with added costs at a time when beef packers are losing money due to the smallest herd size in 75 years causing record high prices for cattle.”

Rollins said at a public meeting in April as public meeting in April that she was a “big supporter” of the regulation, adding it was “a transparency question. … Everyone in America should know where their food is coming from.”

Rollins and USDA have pushed processors to adopt the voluntary “Product of USA” labeling program that went into effect at the start of this year, and touted 10 processors that had joined the initiative. None of them is among the top five meat packers in the U.S,

Trump hits dairy, honey with 50 per cent tariffs

United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to place a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian dairy products and honey plus a list of other products including wigs, cement and hockey sticks.

He complained about administration of tariff-rate quotas on U.S. dairy products.

He said Canada treats the European Union better than the U.S. on those tariff-rate quotas. 

They are related to separate trade agreements Canada has negotiated.

Trump used Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which allows a president to impose duties up to 50 per cent on a foreign country that discriminates against U.S. commerce.

Food prices still rising

For the 17^th straight month, grocery store prices increased by more than the general inflation rate.

The increase in June was 3.9 per cent.

Statistics Canada recorded a 2.8 per cent year over year increase in overall prices in June. In May it was 3.2 per cent.

Prices for food purchased from stores grew at a slower pace in June than in May when the increase was 4.3  per cent.

Ontario opens award nominations

 

 The Ontario government is opening nominations for the 2026 Excellence inA griculture Awards.

There are 10 categories.

• Research and Innovation Excellence

• Agribusiness Excellence

• Education Excellence

• Promotional Excellence

• Urban Agriculture Excellence

• Northern Business Excellence

• Indigenous, Métis or Inuit-Owned Business or Indigenous, Métis or Inuit Community Group

Excellence

• Women’s Farming Excellence

• Youth Excellence

• Farm Family Excellence

Nominations are being accepted until September 4.

The website is ontario.ca/excellenceinagriculture.

Anderson to head AgriCorp

 

Robert Anderson of Strathroy has been appointed to a two-year term as chairman of AgriCorp.

He is is the vice-president of operations at Nortera Foods. 

AgriCorp is an Ontario government agency created in 1997 to delivercrop insurance and other agricultural business risk management programs.

Agriculture ministers plan to double AgriStability

Canada’s agriculture ministers plan to double the AgriStability payment cap to $6 million and add paid labour by farm family members as an eligible expense.

They said after a meeting In Halifax that they intend to make the changes before the end of next year.

The priorities during the meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture were business risk management, trade diversification and research and innovation.

“These priorities will guide the development of the Next Policy Framework over the coming year,” said federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald.

“The goal is to build a framework that provides the flexibility to respond to regional priorities and evolving needs of the agriculture sector while supporting long-term success and sustainability,” he said.

Democrats propose meat-packer breakups

Democratic politicians in the United States have drafted legislation to force the breakup of dominant meat-packing companies.

Democrats lack enough votes on their own to pass the bills in the House of Representatives and Senate or to over-ride a president’s veto.

They cite Cargill, JBS, Tyson and National Beef collectively owning 85 per cent of the U.S. beef market resulting in higher retail prices.

 

The Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act imposes structural reforms to restore competition to the industry proposals

1.   Makes it unlawful for a major meatpacking conglomerate to control more than one major type of meat (e., pork, chicken, beef)

2.   Imposes hard caps on the concentration of beef markets at both the regional and national levels and authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to order divestiture from the market if those caps are exceeded;

3.   Prohibits foreign leverage over the domestic meat market, empowering FTC to protect competition and national security;

4.   Directs the FTC to enforce against discriminatory pricing practices in retail and wholesale meat markets that hit independent and neighborhood grocers the hardest;

5.   Authorizes the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide financial assistance, loan guarantees, and technical assistance to farmers’ cooperatives and small business concerns to acquire meatpacking facilities divested under the Act; and

6.   Creates enforceable penalties for corporations that fail to properly divest, enforceable under the FTC Act.

Massive recall of Quebec meats

 

There is a recall of 66 meat products under labels Charcuterie Charlevoisienne and Joe Smoked Meat.

The producer is based in Quebec.

The Canadian Food Inspection agency detected Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria in the products which were sold through retailers and online.

The CFIA said no illnesses have been linked to the products.

Grain Growers welcomes port plans

 

Grain Growers of Canada is welcoming an announcement that the port at Roberts Bank, Vancouver, will be improved.

The plans include a Second Narrows rail crossing.

 

As Canada’s principal gateway for grain exports to international markets, the Port of Vancouver is critical to the competitiveness of Canadian agriculture and to the government’s goal of doubling exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035, Grain Growers of Canada said.

More than half of the grain grown in Canada is exported through the port, representing approximately $35 million in grain and grain products every day.

 

Also involved are improvements at Roberts Bank Terminal 2 and the government’s commitment to developing a rail infrastructure strategy focused on capacity, reliability and resilience.

 

However, Grain Growers said the success of the Gateway Strategy will ultimately depend on addressing long-standing rail bottlenecks, beginning with the Second Narrows rail crossing. 

Prioritizing this critical project will ensure the movement of grain and other export commodities, reduce congestion, and strengthen Canada’s ability to compete in global markets.

 

Grain Growers of Canada said it looks forward to working with the federal government and industry partners to advance 

Hog rations are improving

 

There is a significant shift underway in commercial hog ration formulation,  reports Swineweb.

Independent research is confirming that targeted swine gut stabilizers provide unmatched structural protection for vulnerable herds, it reported.

It said it’s a world-wide shift as nutrition formulation teams are actively integrating these additives into elite starter and sow diets. 

The biological necessity for advanced gut stabilization is most pronounced during the post-weaning window, when piglets experience intense environmental transitions and volatile gut microbiome shifts, it said.

When these young herds encounter systemic stresses, their natural nutrient utilization rates collapse, triggering immediate body weight loss and elevating the mathematical risk of secondary bacterial breaks. 

By introducing specialized stabilizers directly into the initial creep feed, nutritionists effectively fortify the natural intestinal barrier, ensuring steady nutrient absorption even during high-density stress cycles.

Clinical tracking demonstrates that this integrated feeding strategy yields measurable improvements in commercial finishing floor throughput, it said.

Pork imports surge

 

The United States has reported a 12 per cent increase in pork exports to Canada for the first half of this year.

The total was 65,306 tonnes valued at $258.5 million US, ($362.15 million Cdn) which was 10 per cent more than the same period last year.

American agricultural economists said the Canadian market is important to avoid a backup of hog inventories.

Swineweb reports they said the cross-border volume growth is exerting a direct, positive influence on independent producer balance sheets, adding substantial per-head value to every market hog sold. 

It said as the livestock complex transitions toward late-summer marketing blocks, maintaining this steady export flow will remain vital to protecting producer operating margins from speculative downward swings.

Two research stations survive

Saskatchewan has made a deal with the federal government to take over research farms at Indian Head and Scott.

The federal agriculture department announced recently that is plans to close them but the were cries of protest frin farners,

The deal will not involve continuation of organic farming research at Swift Current.

That loss has been decried by the National Farmers Union which said decades of work to establish and maintain organic farming standards there is being lost.

Saskatchewan and the feds signed a memorandum of understanding for the deal during the recent annual federal-provincial-territorial agriculture ministers’ meeting in Halifax.

Both research farms have been operating for more than 100 years..

The MOU does not include reinstating the organic program at Swift Current.

There was no word about whether similar federal-provincial deals are in the works for other research stations the federal government intends to close.

They include food safety research at Guelph and research stations at Nappan, N.S., and Portage la Prairie, Man., and three research and development centres at Quebec City and Lacombe, Alta.

Dairy farmers fight for farm survival

 

Chantelle Leslie and Eric Leach are fighting against long odds to save their dairy farm.

They have lost their milk board licence after repeated high somatic cell counts and freezing point infractions.

Their case is now before the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal which will likely issue a decision before fall, although chairman Glenn Walker said the arguments presented by lawyers for the farmers and the Dairy Farmers of Ontario marketing board are complex and will take time to deliberate.

Lawyer Andrew Paterson pleaded for another chance to establish that they can meet quality standards.

They are both children of dairy-farming families and have 20 years of dairy farming experience of their own.

And he argued that the stresses involved with their situation have affected their mental health and the milk board could grant some form of accommodation.

Lawyer Geoffrey Spurr for the milk board argued that they were granted fair hearings and that they did not raise mental health as a factor until reaching the appeal tribunal stage. He said at best they should only expect a referral back to the milk board so it could deliberate over the issue of mental health and potential accommodations.

But he said there is no guarantee they would be satisfied by what the milk board would decide and the issue might end up as another appeal to the tribunal.

One relief they seek is to farm in a shared facility until they can get back on their feet, but Spurr said they have not applied to the milk board for that accommodation.

Tribunal member and dairy farmer Judy Dirksen questioned how they can recover because they have sold off quota and are now down to 16 kilograms and still face the challenges of meeting milk quality standards.

They have had their equipment repaired twice to address the freezing-point penalties and might face another issue in the future which would be a third milk quality infraction resulting in the loss of their licence.

Dirksen she knows from experience that maintaining a perfect somatic cell count quality standard record is challenging.

 Pederson drew attention to tribunal testimony by a milk inspector that about 15 per cent of the province’s 3,600 producers every year fall short on milk quality standards such as somatic cell counts. 

The milk board has a three strikes and you're out policy for failing to meet Grade A milk standards.

            -30-

Building codes under review

 

The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is inviting ideas to reduce building code regulations.

In a posting on the Environmental Registry of Ontario, the ministry said “we want your feedback on Ontario’s Building Code review so we can identify ways to reduce unnecessary costs, delays, complexity, and administrative burden, while maintaining health, safety, accessibility, and performance outcomes.”

The invitation is open until Aug. 14.

No major U.S. meat packers adopt COOL labels

 

None of the dominant meat packers in the United States have joined those who are going to label meat “Product of U.S.”

Those who have signed on with the U.S. Department of Agriculture are these 10:

•      Harris Ranch

•      One World Beef

• Upper Iowa Beef
• American Foods Group (AFG)
• Agri Beef
• FPL Food 
• Hadrick Farms
• Fort Worth Meats
• Wholestone Farms
• Harrison’s Poultry

Canadians have opposed labelling meats for country of origin because it believes some packing plants that buy Canadian livestock would stop because it would require keeping separate storage and processing lines.

Canada successfully challenged two attempts to force country of origin meat labelling. The current country-of-origin labelling is voluntary.

Ontario chicken lagging

 

The national supply-management agency for chicken has set a production goal of 5.75 per cent above base quota for October 18 to December 12, but Ontario gets only a 5.5 per cent increase.

The Ontario Chicken Farmers marketing board said demand for chicken continues to be strong. This is supported by competing meat prices, steady per capita consumption and overall positive economic indicators. 

CFIA ready to relax BSE beef bans

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is considering relaxing bans on specified risk materials from beef so they could once again be included in non-ruminant livestock feed, pet food and fertilizer.

The bans went into effect after bovine spongiform encephalopathy was identified in t May, 2003, in the brain tissue of a cow that died in Alberta.

Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said lifting the bans will make it easier for Canadian beef processors to compete with the U.S.

Canada’s current enhanced feed ban took effect in 2007 to persuade the U.S. and other countries to resume buying Canadian beef.

Since 2021, Canada is considered to have negligible risk status for BSE, according to the World Organization for Animal Health, and the trading bans have been lifted.

The change in regulations would allow the sale of skulls, eyes, the nervous system, tonsils and the distal ileum portion of the small intestine the distal ileums from cattle less than 30 months old.

All of these items will still be banned from human food.

Bans will remain in effect brains and spinal cords from cattle more than 30 months old.

Beef processors and abattoirs will need a permit from the CFIA to separate and use the eligible parts from cattle aged 30 months or older.

CFIA has opened public consultation on the proposed changes. It closes Sept. 9.

Chief executive officer Andrea Brocklebank of the Canadian Cattle Association said “This is good news for our industry and our competitiveness.”

The Canadian Meat Council said the changes include “long-sought updates” to SRM requirements.

Additional costs related to removal and disposal of SRMs in Canada are estimated to cost an average of $167 per tonne, the CCA and CMC said.

Under today’s requirements, Canadian processors must discard about 57 kilograms of materials per carcass, compared to about three in the U.S.