Two more PED outbreaks

 

There have been outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in a nursery-to-finish facility in Oxford County and a farrow-to-wean facility in Haldimand-Norfolk. There have been five outbreaks in that area of the province in less than two weeks.

 

McCain heir challenges siblings

Eleanor McCain has gone to the New Brunswick Court of King’s Bench hoping to gain permission to sell her inheritance to outsiders.

Her siblings have threatened to shun her from the family if she does, yet she said they have only made low-ball offers for her share of inheritance in the world’s largest French-fries business.

It is not the first family fracture. Her father and uncle fought over the company. Wallace left Harrison and bought Maple Leaf Foods Inc. and installed his son as president and chief executive officer.

Based on the value of publicly traded peers, the private company is worth about $20 billion.

McCain Foods with its head office in Florenceville, N.B., employs more than 20,000 employees people 160 countries and has annual sales of $16 billion. 

McCain Foods, the operating business, is owned by the holding company, MFGI. Ms. McCain, a professional musician, has been trying to cash out of MFGI since April, 2025. She plans use her inheritance to back charities and her own business ventures. 

Wallace and Harrison McCain, sons of a potato farmer, opened their first frozen fry factory in 1957. They built a global business, then feuded over leadership in the early 1990s, prior to their deaths in 2011 and 2004, respectively. 

Since 1995, McCain Foods has hired outside executives to run the company.

Control of MFGI is now shifting to 55 second- and third-generation McCain heirs.   

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Easter chocolates prices have soared

 

 Blame much higher chocolate prices on big swings in global cocoa markets, said CoBank’s  Billy Roberts, the bank’s senior food and beverage analyst.

That has oomplicated planning for chocolate manufacturers and led to higher retail prices for consumers, he wrote in a report on cocoa.

 

While short-term cocoa prices have come down, he said that will not likely be reflected in chocolate prices.

He said some manufacturers hedged against potential higher prices s they continue to pay high prices for cocoa.

Despite rising prices, Roberts said shoppers are opting for premium chocolates.

NFU blasts research cuts – again

 

 

The National Farmers Union issued another news release critical of the federal government’s cut to agriculture research budget and closing seven research centres.

Now is not the time to cut funding for research centres, farms and programs that are on the frontlines of agricultural climate science, it said, citing eight years of droughts in Southern Saskatchewan and two floods in British Columbia.

Public interest research on sustainable agriculture should be a central part of Canada's climate action strategy. 

Research capacity is essential to facilitating transitions towards a more sustainable Canadian agricultural sector. Public science is a public benefit, it said.

“The harm will be felt for generations,” it said.

 “Science isn’t a luxury, it’s an insurance policy.” 

Halting agricultural research that has been on the cutting edge of emissions reductions research will cost the government billions, and will have long-lasting negative impacts on the climate and the food system. the NFU said.

                  

 

Third PED case in Oxford County

There has been a third outbreak or Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus in Oxford County, this one a weaning finishing facility.

Water too often neglected says expert

Hog farmers should pay more attention to water quality, said Chelsea Fallis of Kemin, a global animal nutrition company.

She said most often water quality is an afterthought addressed only when it becomes an immediate concern. 

Yet water is the number one resource animals need to consume daily to survive. 

Without regular monitoring or testing of your site’s water, this leaves an open door to your biosecurity plan. Unchecked water can pose a significant risk to the health of your animals and bottom line, she said.

“If we’re not evaluating water as we are evaluating feed ingredients, operations are missing a huge opportunity,” she said.

She worked with hog farmers and contractors before joining Kemin and her on-farm experiences over almost six years prompted her to take on water quality as a full-time job at Kemin.

 

Aside from reduced water intake due to odor, taste, or temperature, inconsistent or poor water quality can cause a slew of other problems, she said.

She flags biofilm build-up in waterlines as a big issue because it can harbour pathogens and bacteria potentially impacting the efficacy of antibiotics. 

What we do not know right now is how much of that antibiotic is getting eaten up in the water line before it gets to the pigs, she said.

This could lead to a perceived drug failure and a re-administration of antibiotics increasing the cost going into those animals, increased labor and time lost getting animals to recover.

“Producers are working with their veterinarians on utilizing the right drug for the right bug at the right time, and often yield less of a result than anticipated. The concern is, are we truthfully getting a therapeutic dose to the animal as expected or are we losing efficacy due to contaminants (biofilm) in the water?” she asked.

 

“Operations are adding some form of water treatment for one reason or another. I.e.: bleach, chlorine tabs, citric acid, apple cider vinegar with no standardization or measurement of success,” she said,

Chicken production to increase

Chicken production will increase this summer after the national supply management agency set its target at six per cent above base quota.

It said demand for chicken continues to be strong. This is supported by competing meat prices, steady per capita consumption and overall positive economic indicators.

The six-week production period is from June 28 to Aug. 22 which is a period when demand has been traditionally strong.

For the first time in years, Ontario’s allocation at 5.8 per cent is less than the national increase.

The Chicken Farmers of Ontario marketing board said the decline came because the province’s population has not increased.

There were strong increases when Ottawa granted tens of thousands of student visas and temporary foreign worker permits. 

Both were cut sharply near the end of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s term in office.