Chicken target rising

 

Chicken Farmers of Canada is calling for production at 5.5 per cent above base quota for December 13 to February 6.

Ontario’s allocation is at 5.1 per cent above base.

Chicken Farmers of Ontario said * the Ontario allocation is lower than national allocation this period due to Ontario having no population growth kilograms. 

“This number has generally been favourable for Ontario, leading to a higher provincial number compared to national.”

It is the third month in a row that Ontario’s allocation has been less than the national target.

Canada’s population surged when the federal government issued record amounts of foreign student and temporary worker permits. 

After facing a housing shortage, the Trudeau government slashed the number of permits.

Now Ontario is pleading for an increase in worker permits.

Storm rips through southern Ontario

Huron and Perth counties were hit particularly hard as winds topping 100 kilometres an hour, torrential rain, and large hail swept across Southern Ontario.

Environment Canada issued severe storm warnings throughout midwestern and southwestern Ontario.

There were tornado warnings for Clinton, Mitchell, Seaforth, Vanastra and south to Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge.

The University' of Western Ontario’s Northern Tornadoes Project has sent out teams to investigate whether there were tornadoes, but straight-one winds took down trees, power lines and some buildings.

"An active storm day in parts of southern Ontario with most damage being reported from about Bayfield to Cambridge. Some of the damage is significant (e.g. barn destroyed)," Northern Tornadoes Project said in a social media post. 

The tornado researchers also warned about suspected fake, AI-generated images circulating online of tornadoes in Guelph and Paris.

"These are becoming increasingly prevalent in storm situations," the

Northern Tornadoes Project said. 

Toronto was hard hit by flooding.

Chip companies hit by false labels in India

Leading chip and snack companies, including PepsiCo, Nestle, Coca-Cola and Unilever, are under Canadian Food Inspection Agency investigations over false labeling by a supplier in India.

Indian officials raided the plant and fake nutrition information and expiry dates on products prepared for export.

Indian authorities raided a Mumbai warehouse last week, seizing products worth nearly $110,000 as well as chemicals and printing machines.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency “is monitoring the situation to determine whether it presents any risk to imports into Canada. At this time, the CFIA has no information indicating that products associated with this operation entered Canada,” it said in a statement to Reuters news agency.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency takes food fraud, including false date markings, inaccurate nutrition information, and misleading origin claims seriously,” it added.

It is the first foreign agency to react to the incident.

Why do these companies import from India? 

Maple Lodge heavily fined

 

Maple Lodge Farms Ltd. has been fined $162,500 for a workplace safety violation in its poultry deli packaging department.

The Brampton company did not have a carbon dioxide detector or alarm in the area where a carbon dioxide hose was severed.

The gas is used to cool product during packaging.

The fine was $500,000 plus a 25 per cent victim surcharge.

Trumpers extend beef price probe to stores

 In their campaign to pin the blame for high prices, the United States Department of Justice on Tuesday said it is expanding its investigation of record high beef prices to eight major grocery chains.

In a post on X, the Antitrust Division said associate attorney general Stanley Woodward sent letters to Kroger, Walmart, Publix, Albertsons, Aldi, Ahold Delhaize, Costco and Amazon.

“Beef prices are a critical concern to Americans, and a priority for this Justice Department,” the post said.

 The Trump administration first said last year that producers “have to get their prices down,” then blamed the “Big Four” meatpackers and launched an antitrust probe in May, and now is rattling the next link in the meat supply chain.

The executive branch’s search for answers continues despite what economists say are the clear culprits: a record-low cattle inventory caused primarily by droughts and prolonged by persistent consumer beef demand.

It would make more sense to probe the lack of action on climate change. As if Donald J. Trump would ever do anything to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Farmers’ optimism returns

For the first time in more than a year, researchers from Purdue University have found that farmers they survey every month are optimistic about their business future.

The index for future expectations moved up 11 points, the index for current conditions by one point and for exports over the next five years to the highest level – 400 points – since December 2025.

They are also optimistic about government supports, but concerned about rising input costs.

The percentage of producers who said the U.S. was headed in the “right direction” has ranged from 51 to 57 per cent  since April, with 51 per cent of respondents saying that the U.S. was heading in the right direction in August.

Canadians respond to Nepal’s flooding

 

Canadians are responding to the devastating flooding in Nepal, including the Mennonite Central Committee, World Renew, Save the Children and ICNA Relief Canada.

 

"It was heartbreaking to witness the scale of devastation caused by the floods,” said Durga Sunchiuri, MCC Nepal program director. 

"I have never seen such extensive destruction before. Many affected families are struggling without electricity and basic necessities in temporary holding areas, facing significant uncertainty about their housing and livelihoods."

 

World Renew which is an agency of the Christian Reformed Church, said it is working through partners it has in Nepal.

 

MCC is working with two existing local partners, Sahayogi Hatharuko Samuha (Group of Helping Hands, SAHAS) and the National Mental Health Self-Help Organization (KOSHISH) to provide emergency relief.

 

In the first weeks following the flooding, partners will deliver assistance to people living in temporary evacuation centers, including churches. MCC support will include food, water purification tablets, hygiene and dignity kits, bedding, clothes and psychosocial support in the affected districts. MCC will also support recovery efforts following the initial emergency phase. 

 

Both SAHAS and KOSHISH have partnered with MCC to respond to past disasters in the region, including the 2015 Nepal earthquakes. MCC's ongoing program in Nepal already supports food security, livelihoods and nutrition, mental health and education.

 

In the first days following the flood, MCC also supported immediate search and rescue operations by providing five 5.5-kilowatt generators after power had been knocked out in the Rasuwa district. Rescue workers relied on these generators for relief operations, including locating missing or injured people.

 

"We hope that this timely and much-needed assistance will go a long way in supporting the affected communities," says Christina Nisha, MCC representative for Nepal. 

 

"We are coordinating our efforts with other non-governmental organizations in the region and are grateful for the resilience and strength of our partners. These trusted organizations hold incredible knowledge and capacity. We welcome your prayers and support on their behalf, as well as for all the people of Nepal."