Another avian flu outbreak

There has been a fourth outbreak of avian influenza in the Listowel area, reported the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The three previous outbreaks led to the loss of about 100,000 turkeys.

                           

PED outbreak in Lambton

 

Swine Health Ontario has reported an outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in a finishing barn in Lambton County.

                  

PED hits multiple farms

 

Swine Health Ontario has reported a number of outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus at barns in Lambton, Perth, Huron and Oxford Counties.

Those hit are a finishing barn in Lambton County, a farrow-to-finish farm in Oxford County, a nursery in Perth County and a finisher barn in Huron County.

Hog nutrition might replace medications

 

Nutrition could reduce the need for medications for pigs said researchers a from Utah State University.

They have developed Aggie-Feed, a feed-based innovation designed to help improve gut health and immune function in livestock using a naturally derived antioxidant compound. 

They said this approach offers a promising pathway for reducing reliance on traditional antibiotics while maintaining animal performance.

Rather than targeting pathogens directly, Aggie-Feed works by supporting the animal’s own biological systems. The feed supplement is based on an antioxidant compound that helps reduce inflammation—an underlying contributor to many digestive and health challenges in modern livestock systems.

By addressing inflammation and gut stress, researchers believe animals may be better equipped to stay healthy, convert feed efficiently, and perform consistently without the routine use of antibiotics.

A key differentiator of Aggie-Feed is how it is produced. The antioxidant compound is delivered through nutrient-enriched microalgae, allowing the supplement to be produced efficiently and at scale. This production method eliminates the need for complex purification processes and makes the technology practical for feed applications.

Microalgae are already widely used in animal nutrition, making integration into existing feeding programs a realistic option as the technology advances.

For pork producers, innovations such as Aggie-Feed are part of a shift toward preventive, nutrition-driven health strategies. Potential benefits include:

·       Supporting gut health during high-stress periods such as weaning

·       Reducing inflammation that can limit growth and feed efficiency

·       Lowering dependency on antibiotics while maintaining herd health

·       Aligning with packer, retailer, and consumer expectations around antibiotic stewardship

The research is awaiting additional validation and commercial development.

CFIA suspends two licences

 

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended licences for two food companies for failures to comply with regulations under the Safe Foods Canada Act.

Suspensions are a last resort after companies fail to adequately respond to repeated warnings.

The two companies effectively put out of business are Divanha Foods of Mississauga and Goodfood Market of Saint-Laurent, Que.

Goodfood Market prepares meals/

Their licences may be restored if and when they come into compliance.

Trump dumps grocery price checking effort

 

The United States federal government has dumped an agency that was  

The federal government has dumped an agency that was established in 2023 to tackle anti-competitive behaviours in the food industry.

It was established when Joe Biden was president and inflation was running hot.

Now that Donald Trump is president many of Biden’s initiatives have been reversed.

The Agricultural Competition Partnership (ACP) provided funding and collaboration among the federal agriculture and attorneys general from 31 states to tackle anticompetitive behaviour such as price gouging, market structure barriers and conflicts of interest that can distort margins for family farms and raise consumer prices.

Through the ACP, USDA had provided about $15 million in funding and technical support to under-resourced state AG offices, enhancing their ability to collaborate on on-the-ground competition and consumer protection actions. 

Politicians said this partnership helped build coordination between federal and state authorities and supported research into competition issues across grocery, processing and other agrifood markets.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, a group of federal politicians expressed serious concern that abandoning the ACP will worsen consolidation trends in agriculture — trends they say have “decreased margins for family farmers … increased prices for consumers … and reduced choice and quality in the marketplace”. 

The group demanded clarity on USDA’s plans for competition enforcement and whether the department plans to continue working with state AGs or shift responsibility elsewhere.

Grocery code comes into effect

 

The new voluntary code of practice for Canada’s grocery industry came into force Jan. 1.

It provides an avenue for complaints to be heard but there are no penalties for failures to comply with the code of conduct.

There have been complaints from suppliers for at least 60 years. Fifty years ago complaints by Ontario growers of fruits and vegetables resulted in a judicial inquiry into dozens of discounts, fees and allowances the supermarket chains imposed on suppliers.

Justice James Leach concluded that nothing illegal was taking place and he rejected calls for a body to regulate relationships in the industry.

The government also reacted by closing the office it had in place to keep watch on the grocery industry.

But complaints persisted and boiled over when Canada’s three dominant supermarket chains announced they would discount supplier’s invoices by one or two per cent, effective immediately.

That eventually led to an inquiry by the House of Commons Committee on Agriculture which recommended creation of a code of conduct and a disciplinary system and body. Federal and provincial ministers of agriculture also recommended similar action when they met to discuss concerns over the clout practiced by the big chains.

But Loblaws and Walmart stoutly resisted mandatory rules and that eventually led to the new voluntary grocery code of conduct.

I don't expect anything much will change. The dominant supermarket chains will continue to pressure suppliers, suppliers will seek to defend themselves by merging into larger corporations and alliances and it will be the medium-sized independents which will suffer the most.

There will continue to be an erosion of competition in the food industry and both ends of the supply chain - farmers and consumers - will lose.