Ontario ponders ban on horse slaughter

 

 

Ontario is proposing a ban on horse slaughter and horse meat processing at provincially-inspected meat plants.

It said its ban does not extend to federally-inspected plants but none of them are currently licenced to slaughter horses.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness is proposing the ban due to public concerns about animal welfare.

Horse slaughter and exports to Japan have been under increased animal welfare activists’ attacks for the last several years.

There are federally-licenced horse slaughter plants in Alberta and Quebec. There is a steady export demand for Canadian horse meat.

The horse industry regards horse slaughter as a safe, convenient and economical way to dispose of culled horses.

The government said “we encourage you to review and consider this posting. Comments and feedback can be submitted to OMAFA using the Regulatory Registry, or via email to william.martin@ontario.ca.

Trump bans whey from Canada

 

United States President Donald Trump plans to ban Canadian whey and whey products.

He also intends to ban Canadian beer, wine and liquor and motorcycles in another escalation of his tariff war on Canada.

These latest measures are to take effect Sept. 28.

His bans came after Canada placed new tariffs on about $28 billion worth of U.S. products, also including milk proteins.

There are no indications of a return to trade negotiations.

The ban on whey products will be hard on the Canadian dairy industry which has enjoyed surging demand for milk protein products for people taking GLP weight-reduction and diabetes-controlling drugs. They need high protein diets.

Perth County gets improved ambulance service

 

Perth County is getting improved ambulance service from a joint program with London Central Ambulance Communications Centre.

The new service will do a better job of matching service with the needs of clients.

The goal is to send the right resource to the right patient at the right time. 

The service “ensures patients receive the most appropriate response based on their medical needs while allowing dispatchers to provide critical instructions before paramedics arrive." said Tristan Barter, Deputy Chief of Operations, Perth County Paramedic Services. 

Emergency Medical Dispatchers will ask additional questions about the patient’s condition and exact location, especially in life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrest, stroke symptoms, severe bleeding, trauma, or loss of consciousness.

Even while you are still answering questions, Paramedics will already be on the way.

If the situation is not life-threatening, there may be longer wait times so that paramedics remain available for those who need immediate critical care.

Dispatchers will stay in contact with the caller to provide support and instructions until help arrives.

Canadian tariffs worry American dairy farmers

 

Canadian tariffs on dairy products from the United States that went into effect today have drawn worrisome reports from Wisconsin and Ohio.

Wisconsin news media reported that the dairy industry ships protein products that are in surplus from butter manufacturing.

Ohio news media said “with Canada ranking among the top foreign destinations for U.S. dairy commodities, regional industry leaders warn that tariff barriers could strand finished inventory and weigh heavily on farmgate mailbox prices.

“When export avenues contract, commercial milk solids back up into domestic butter, powder, and cheese vats, placing downward pressure on Federal Milk Marketing Order Class prices and narrowing the operating margins of producers already struggling to break even.” one reporter wrote.

Global inflation at 4.8 per cent

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has pegged the global inflation rate at 4.1 per cent.

Inflation rose in13 countries and declined in 14, it said.

Energy inflation was at more than 10 per cent for the fourth month in a row, but food inflation declined in 23 countries and by two per cent in some, but not Canada where it was 4.2 per cent.

In the G20, year-on-year headline inflation fell to 3.9 per cent in July, from 4.1 per cent in June. 

Headline inflation in China halved, reaching 0.5 per cent in July. It also declined in Brazil, India, Indonesia and South Africa, while it rose in Argentina and remained stable in Saudi Arabia.

Trump ups pressure on packers

 

United States President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on the biggest beef packers in the United States, including the two that dominate the Canadian market: JBS and Cargill.

Under one of his executive orders thee United States Department of Agriculture has been directed to prioritize investigations into potential Packers and Stockyards Act violations and increase enforcement resources and staffing. 

The department was also instructed to coordinate with the Department of Justice and report to the president on current enforcement actions, resource needs and plans to strengthen enforcement over the next year.

The aim is to find and stop price-fixing and market dominance abuses.

The administration also targeted processing capacity, directing the agriculture department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to expand the Cooperative Interstate Shipment and Talmadge-Aiken programs. 

The move is intended to allow more meat produced at qualifying state-inspected facilities to be sold across state lines, increasing competitive pressure on the big companies.

CFIA suspends a Quebec licence

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended the licence held by Boulanger Bistan of Quebec, effectively putting it out of business until it is compliant with food safety regulations.

It has suspended or cancelled more than 20 licences this year held by Quebec companies, more than all of the rest of Canada.

Are they worse than other Canadian food companies, or has the CFIA. inspection staff there suddenly woken up or become less forgiving?