Jesuits lock in farmland near Guelph

The Jesuits of Upper Canada have agreed to lock in part of their 92-acre farm north of Guelph in the Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT).

It ensures the land can never be developed.

It's an example that could be copied by Christian organizations which own a lot of farmland as part of campgrounds and retreat centres.

Ignatius Jesuit Centre is famous for its adoption of organic standards on the farm and for protecting an old-growth forest.

It is situated on Highway 6 next to residential and commercial development as Guelph expands. To the north is Guelph Lake Conservation Area.

The 92 acres is part of Ignatius Centre’s 230-acre farm, and 270 acres that is home to the Centre’s spiritual retreat house and additional natural lands.

OFT’s Farmland Protection Easements are landowner-initiated ‘forever agreements’ that are registered on property title to prohibit any non-agricultural development on the land in the future.

OFT has piloted the use of agricultural easements in Ontario since 2009. Other farms protected by OFT are located in Halton, Peel, Simcoe County and Huron County.

The Ignatius Jesuit agreement is OFT’s first land protection project in the organization’s home community of Guelph-Wellington.

“This project is important for the Ontario Farmland Trust, as it demonstrates the value of communities coming together to protect significant agricultural and ecological lands in the urban fringe, says OFT Board Chair Norman Ragetlie.

“It also marks a major milestone for our growing organization and Ontario’s land trust community as a whole.”

The easement is the first of its kind in Canada that sees a Catholic Order partnering with a land trust to make a commitment to permanent land protection.

Ragetlie says the Ontario Farmland Trust hopes that the Ignatius Jesuit Centre easement “opens doors for additional land conservation initiatives to take root in other communities throughout Ontario where there are religious institutional land holdings and willing land trust partners.”

New beef plant coming near border

Farmers and a developer have unveiled plans to build a beef-packing plant at Sackets Harbor, New York, which is close to the border at Ganonoque.

The plant will be federally inspected, will employ about 60 people and will cost close to $21 million US.

China cracking down on meat smugglers

Chinese authorities have found some frozen meat that’s 40 years old as they crack down on smugglers.

So far they have arrested members of 21 gangs and have seized more than 100,000 tonnes of smuggled meat, including chicken wings, beef and pork, state news agency Xinhua said. In one raid in southern Hunan province, police arrested 20 people.

Customs officials found some of the meat was more than 40 years old, meaning it dated back to the 1970s. Other parts were rotten and decomposing, the China Daily newspaper said.

The newspaper hasn’t said what happened to the meat.

Industry sources say hundreds of thousands of tonnes of beef is being smuggled into China via neighbouring Hong Kong and Vietnam, from countries such as Brazil and India, to sidestep Beijing's import curbs.

Hong Kong has been a big customer of Canadian beef and pork for many years, long before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control.

Russia extends ban on Canadian meat

Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended a ban on meat imports from Canada, the United States and the European Union.

The ban first went into effect last August to retaliate for Canada’s economic sanctions designed to pressure Putin to back off of hostilities in Ukraine.

The ban has had a greater impact on Canadian pork and genetically-superior hogs than on other meats.

Canadians may benefit from lawsuit over virgin olive oil

A California law firm has filed class-action lawsuits over misleading consumers over extra virgin olive oil.

The lawsuits allege companies Salov North America Corp., maker of Filippo Berio olive oil, and Deoleo USA, which makes Bertolli and Carapelli, are mislabelling and misleading consumers.

All three brands are also sold in Canada and compete with Canadian-grown canola and soybeans.

A request from the companies to dismiss the lawsuits was turned down earlier this year.

In the case of Filippo Berio olive oil, the bottle has a label saying "imported from Italy" but a small print text says olives are grown in Spain, Greece and Tunisia as well as Italy.

The suit also alleged Salov's extra virgin olive oil failed to meet state or federal standards for the term "extra virgin," claiming the company mixed the products with refined oil and packaged them in clear bottles which means the oil can be damaged by sunlight.

Similarly, a separate class action against Deoleo alleges the oils can't be "extra virgin" since a refined oil is added to the mix.

The Bertolli and Carapelli olive oils also are labelled "imported from Italy" when the product also includes oil from olives from several different countries.

The suits claim damages on behalf of all U.S. users of the products.

The class action lawsuits are being led by Gutride Safier LLP, a California law firm that specializes in class actions.

There have been frequent news media reports of cheating in Canada, but so far no class-action lawsuits.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is in charge of enforcement of labeling regulations.