More porcine epidemic diarrhea virus

 

There has been an outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in a finisher barn in Haldimand-Norfolk.

 

 

Robertson chosen first forage winner

Ray Robertson, manager of the Ontario Forage Council, has been chosen the first inductee to the council’s Wall of Fame.

He has been manager for about a quarter of a century, taking over from Stan Young of the University of Guelph despite telling the farmers he did not feel qualified. 

He set a condition: they needed to hire Joan McKinley who had lost her job as Grey County crop advisor when the provincial government cut staff.

“The wall of fame celebrates the individuals whose dedication, leadership, and vision have shaped the growth and impact of the organization,” said the OFC. 

“These honourees represent the passion and commitment that have advanced forage production, strengthened Ontario’s agricultural community, and supported the success of producers across the province.”

Robertson has also been chair of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association.

Agri Stats settles poultry price-fixing case

Agri Stats has settled poultry price-fixing lawsuits related to chickens and turkeys, but still faces lawsuits related to pork and beef.

A federal judge has granted preliminary approval of a settlement between Agri Stats and a class of indirect chicken and turkey purchasers in two separate cases, potentially bringing an end to a decade-long antitrust case tied to the poiultry industry’s data-sharing practices.

Under the settlement, Agri Stats agreed to a discontinue its chicken sales reports and to implement new restrictions on data disclosure, including limits on sharing non-public subscriber information and requirements to aggregate data and make companies anonymous.

The agreement restricts the inclusion of plant-level production and pricing data in reports and requires that reported data reflect aggregated information from multiple entities, with safeguards designed to prevent identification of individual companies.

Additional provisions include enhanced antitrust compliance measures, such as annual employee training, the adoption of a formal compliance policy and the appointment of an outside attorney to oversee adherence.

Bill proposes swift approvals for pesticides

A Conservative from Alberta has put a bill into Parliament that would grant interim approvals for pesticides and fertilizers that have received approvals from two other trusted governments.

The bill addresses persistent complaints that Canadian farmers are at a disadvantage when the United States allows new products on its markets but the Canadian government officials sometimes take years to follow suit.

Because it’s a bill from opposition member Dave Bexte from Bow River, Alberta, it has only a slim chance of receiving approval.

Cheese recall expands

The company that makes Auricchio brand Taleggio D.O.P. Cheese has issued a recall because it detected Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria.

A few days earlier it recalled it gorgonzala cheese because of Listeria.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said there have been no reports of illnesses from consumers of these cheeses.

NFU opposes Alto rail project

The National Farmers Union has a policy supporting high-speed railways, but not the federal government’s plan for Alto, a high-speed railway to be built to link Ottawa and Montreal.

It said the National Farmers Union wants green, affordable, and reliable public transportation, and Alto isn’t it.

Alto’s secretive, unaccountable and baseless High Speed Rail (HSR) project—to build a bullet train between Toronto and Quebec city—must be stopped quickly, it said in a news release.

HSR was given a green light in 2024 and added to the Major Projects Office's list last year to "accelerate engineering, regulatory, and permitting work"—while parallel changes to the Expropriation Act will speed up the acquisition of properties for the new Right-of-Way for this HSR project, the NFU said.

This is a hasty, ill-considered commitment to billions of dollars of taxpayer funding per year over two generations to construct high speed rail with little supporting evidence or accountability, it said.

Alto HSR will mean significantly less funding for much-needed projects that would deliver real results, and long-term austerity for low-priority sectors. 

Too often agriculture is seen as low priority—as the short-sighted closure of agricultural farms and research stations in January showed us—pinching pennies today while throwing away a 30:1 return on investment that benefits farms, their communities, and the dwindling next generation of farmers, the NFU said.

It also noted that one of the projects partners is the former SNC Lavalin that Was disgraced over paying bribes.

B.C. milk board shuts down raw milk producer

The British Columbia milk marketing board has shut down a dairy farm marketing raw milk.

An undercover investigation of Maple Ridge producer Kevin Davison resulted in Davison Farms ordered to pay $7,512 in expenses related to a show-cause hearing. The farm has also had its licence suspended for three months and faces quota restrictions for two years.

The hearing put the onus on Davison to show cause as to why the milk board should not take action following an investigation that successfully bought raw, unpasteurized milk from the farm on three separate occasions in February and March.