One rabid bat in November

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reports there was rabies found in one bat in Ontario in November.

There were 105 before November plus six rabies-infected red foxes.

Nationally the total of rabies cases so far this year is 266.

Trump threatens fertilizer tariffs

 

While he was announcing $12 billion in tariff-relief subsidies for farmers, United States President threatened to impose new tariffs on fertilizer from Canada.

He also threatened to impose tariffs on rice from India.

He said the imports are making it difficult for U.S. companies to compete.

Nutrien is the world’s largest fertilizer producer and is based in Saskatoon.

Trump said a lot of it (fertilizer) does come in from Canada, and so we’ll end up putting very severe tariffs on that, if we have to, because that’s the way you want to bolster here,.

“And we can do it here. We can all do that here.” 

Canadian agr. leaders support CUSMA

 

Ninety-eight agriculture organizations and companies have written an open letter to the federal government asking that the Canada-United States- Mexico trade agreement remain as it is.

Their advice comes as governments are asking what they should do during the CUSMA review that is scheduled to begin in July.

The United States agriculture industry has also appeared at hearings in Washington and also asked for CUSMA to continue.

“We are calling on governments to maintain the agreement’s SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) provisions, which have improved transparency and ensured science-based treatment of agricultural products—protecting plant and animal health,” the letter said.

“The continuation of science-based regulatory cooperation is critical to ensuring timely access to agricultural innovations.”

The letter said that between 2005 and 2023, CUSMA tripled the value of North American agriculture and agrifood trade to approximately $400 billion.

Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said while he hopes for a deal that’s better for Canadian farmers, he doesn’t want that to come at the expense of farmers in the United States and Mexico.

MARS picks nine leaders

 

MARS Discovery District of Toronto has picked nine people to lead its investments in agriculture technology companies which are launching new ventures.

MARS is best known for investing in medical technologies. In its early stages it was led by Ken Knox who was deputy minister for the province’s agriculture department.

Farm Credit Canada is supporting MARS’ entry into the agriculture sector. Lisa Ashton of RBC bank’s Thought Leadership is also involved at MARS.

The nine people chosen are:

 

• Luke Scales, co-founder of Arbia (Formerly known as Stocky AI)
  Arbia is an AI-powered operating system for food suppliers that automates workflows, optimizes sales channels and buyer discovery through a B2B marketplace.
•  
• Corey Ellis, CEO and co-founder of Growcer
  Growcer is a manufacturer of modular hydroponic farms that provides a simple solution to locally grow and sell fresh, profitable crops year-round, regardless of the climate.
•  
• Pierre-Xavier Roy, COO and co-founder of Hydro Cool Systems 
  Hydro Cool Systems is developing an intelligent, zero-carbon, mobile refrigeration system optimized for delivering food.
•  
• Lourdes Juan, CEO and founder of Knead Tech
  Knead Tech is a software company that enables scalable food recovery solutions, helping food rescue organizations track and co-ordinate donations, ensure food safety and measure impact.
•  
• Francois Menard, CEO and founder of PULR Technologies 
  PULR Technologies provides foundational infrastructure for Industry 5.0 with AI-enabled regenerative electronics to improve traceability and optimize shelf life of ingredients and products.
•  
• Marcia Woods, CEO and founder of Purchs
  Purchs is a B2B SaaS platform that automates the entire order-to-cash workflow for brands, distributors and retailers working in consumer-packaged goods.
•  
• Wayne McIntyre, CEO of Relocalize 
  Relocalize has developed autonomous micro-factories to create packaged ice and water cold packs that cut both costs and carbon emissions.
•  
• Yun Yao, CEO and co-founder of SoraLink
  SoraLink provides a predictive maintenance service for industrial machines using AI and machine learning to analyze data and prevent equipment breakdowns for food processors.
•  
• Gaurav Tewari, CEO and president of Tewari De-Ox Systems 
  Tewari De-Ox Systems has invented and patented packaging technique for extending the shelf life of meat and poultry.

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Solio to build corn seed facility

 

Solio co-operative is planning to build an $8.8 million seed processing plant at Blenheim for its Maizex Seeds business it bought in 2019.

The facility will feature state-of-the-art cleaning, sizing and packaging equipment, Sollio Agriculture said.

It will copy the idea of single-storey flow through used in the existing plant at Tilbury.

General manager Blake Ashton said the company is truly fortunate to grow seed corn in one of the best seed corn production areas in the world. This investment confirms our savoir-faire and expertise, and our desire to support our customers, the profitability of their farms, and our commercial growth for the future.

Canada closes border to pork from Spain

Canada has closed its border to pork and pigs from Spain following an outbreak of African Swine Fever in wild pigs in Barcelona province.

But many other countries are accepting pork from provinces other than Barcelona.

The status is:

• China, the main destination for Spanish exports, has closed its borders only to the province of Barcelona. This regionalization includes the districts of Osona, Bages, and Lluçanès, where a significant portion of Catalan pork production is concentrated. Furthermore, according to government information, a total of 14 meat processing plants within the province of Barcelona will be unable to export to China.
• 
  
• Japan, the fourth leading destination, has completely suspended imports and, unlike China, does not accept regionalization. The Spanish Ministry is working to get the country to accept a scheme similar to the one already approved by China.
• 
  
• South Korea accepts regionalization, a result of the existing agreement between the EU and that country.
• 
  
• The Philippines, while accepting regionalization, is not currently authorizing CEXGAN certificates and is awaiting a prompt solution.
• 
  
• Serbia is in negotiations to accept the regionalization of the European Union (EU).
• 
  
• Chile, in principle, accepts the regionalization of the EU.
• 
  
• Mexico has also suspended imports from Spain. In this context, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, held an in-person meeting in Mexico City with the Minister of Agriculture, who agreed to hear firsthand about the epidemiological situation and the containment measures implemented. Both parties committed to maintaining constant communication with the aim of reopening the Mexican market "as soon as possible."
• 
  
• Argentina lifted restrictions on some products, such as pork products cured for at least six months or salted tripe.

Other markets that remain closed and with which reopening is being negotiated include Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Cuba, Ukraine, Vietnam, Thailand, and Canada.

Trump calls for food price inquiry

President Donald Trump has ordered the creation of “Food Supply Chain Security Task Forces” to investigate “anti-competitive behavior” among meat processors and other food industry players.

A previous probe into meat industry wound up recently and almost immediately the Department of Justice announced a new investigation into the meat-packing industry.

There have been a multitude of class-action lawsuits alleging price-fixing in the pork, chicken, turkey and beef industries and many out-of-court settlements for hundreds of millions of dollars.

The new Trump-ordered task forces will be created through the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, and will “take all necessary and appropriate actions” in their investigations of not just the food supply chain, but moreover, “whether control of food-related industries by foreign entities is increasing the cost of food products in the United States or creating a national or economic security threat to Americans.”

“Anti-competitive behavior, especially when carried out by foreign-controlled corporations, threatens the stability and affordability of America’s food supply,” Trump’s order said

 

Should Attorney General Pam Bondi uncover “criminal collusion,” Trump continued, criminal proceedings will commence “as appropriate,” including grand juries. The task forces are to provide updates to numerous congressional leaders first within the next 180 days, and then within the investigation’s first year.

Trump has also eased tariffs and other rules to attract more beef imports from Argentina. He has also been advised to allow more beef imports from Mexico where there are new concerns about screwworms.