Ford makes 101 appointments on election eve

Premier Doug Ford’s government made 101 appointments to various boards and agencies on the eve of his election call.

It is the largest batch of appointments in years.

Are they worried they will lose, or were they simply catching up on months of neglect?

They are posted at https://www.pas.gov.on.ca/Home/New-appointments.

Fed extend farm environment subsidies

 

The federal government has committed $300 million over the next three years to continue the On-Farm Climate Action Plan (OFCAF), which aims to reduce harmful emissions.

Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said the same 13 organizations that have been administering the program will share the $300 million.

They are the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, ECOCERT Canada, Manitoba Association of Watersheds, Manitoba Métis Federation, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture, New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc., Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture, Results Driven Agriculture Research, Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds and L’Union des producteurs agricoles and B.C. Investment Agriculture Foundation.

The OFCAF wants farmers to adopt beneficial management practices in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as planting cover crops, managing nitrogen and using rotational grazing.

From CBC website

"I did not expect to be a slave here."

Bénédicte Carole Zé came to Canada in 2016 to work on a poultry farm after paying $10,000 in illegal recruitment fees for a job here. But once she arrived, she says she was forced to work 70- to 80-hour weeks for an employer who she alleges sexually abused her, controlled her banking and did not let her leave the house or have a cellphone, while threatening her with deportation if she complained.

"I lived two years under slavery," Zé, now a permanent resident and an advocate for migrant justice, said in French at a media conference in Montreal Thursday morning.

"An animal had more value than me. I had no rights."

The Cameroonian woman's story is just one of many accounts of exploitation and abuse in a new Amnesty International report into the experiences of labourers in the temporary foreign worker program (TFWP).

I think chicken marketing boards should find out who did this to this worker and cancel the quota.

Quota holders need to be reminded that their business depends on governments which have granted extraordinary privileges. Abusing those privileges is unconscionable.

And if the marketing boards fail to investigate and take appropriate action, their provincial and national supervisory agencies ought to.

Smithfield ready to expand

 

Smithfield Foods is now independent from WH Group of China now that it has successfully launched on the United States stock market where its shares sold for $8.1 billion US.

Before the listing, the company carved out its European business, ended contracts with some U.S. hog farms and shut a California pork plant.

“We believe that really the heavy lifting is done,” chief executive officer Shane Smith said. “This next phase will be focused on growth.”’

JBS once owned J.M. Schneider Inc. of Kitchener, but sold it to the McCain family which merged it into Maple Leaf Foods.

I wonder if Smithfield will make a bid to buy Maple Leaf Foods?

Trump tariffs zero in on Canadian dairy industry

 

U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Commerce Department, Howard Lutnick, said he will work to increase access to Canada’s dairy market.

He was testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee.

Lutnick said Canada has treated U.S. farmers “horribly” and would work to make sure that they do “much, much better in Canada than they’ve ever done before.”

He also said Canada and Mexico can avoid tariffs if they take effective action to stop illegal immigration and fentanyl.

He also said Trump’s proposed tariffs will not result in inflation.

Idaho dairymen fear deportations

 

Idaho Dairymen’s Association fears that President Donald Trump’s drive to get rid of undocumented immigrants will force them out of business because more than half of their workers are at risk.

They and Governor Brad Little are lobbying for a change in rules so dairy workers can qualify under a program that allows crop farmers to hire undocumented immigrants.

The president of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association said deporting all of these undocumented immigrants would be devastating to more than just these farms.

“You would see significant inflation on food prices across the board just because you would remove a significant portion of the on-farm workforce.”

Idaho captured the Chobani yogourt business when marketing boards in Canada frustrated the company’s bid to build its second plant at Kingston.

Pilgrim’s Pride pays off investors

 

In another twist to the price-fixing lawsuits, Pilgrim’s Pride has settled a class-action lawsuit filed by investors who said the company misled them about the reasons for its profits.

The settlement resolved nearly a decade of litigation in federal court in Colorado. 

The 2016 lawsuit alleged the company misrepresented its profitability, attributing it to product mix and pricing strategies rather than anti-competitive practices.

The settlement covered stock purchases made between February 2014 and November 2016 and requires approval from U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson. 

In 2021, the company pleaded guilty to federal price-fixing charges and paid a $107.9 million fine. In 2023, it agreed to pay $100 million to settle claims that it conspired to underpay chicken farmers.

Tarts under recall

 

D. Effe T. brand Lemon Delight and Tartlet with Forest Fruits have been recalled due to Salmonella.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency identified the problem while it was following up on an outbreak of salmonella poisonings.

The tarts were served to customers, not sold at stores.

There is a related recall underway for Sweet Cream brand Mini Patisserie products.

            

John de Bruyn named to veterinary council

 

John de Bruyn of Salford has been appointed to a three-year term on the Council or the College of Veterinarians of Ontario.

He has served as chairman of the Ontario Pork marketing board, the land division committee for the County of Oxford and as a 4-H club leader.

The council regulates the practice of veterinary medicine and establishes, maintains and develops standards of knowledge, skill and professional ethics for veterinarians.

John de Bruyn named to veterinary council

 

John de Bruyn of Salford has been appointed to a three-year term on the Council or the College of Veterinarians of Ontario.

He has served as chairman of the land division committee for the County of Oxford and as a 4-H club leader.

The council regulates the practice of veterinary medicine and establishes, maintains and develops standards of knowledge, skill and professional ethics for veterinarians.

Two more virus outbreaks on hog farms

 

Swine Health Ontario reported an outbreak of porcine deltacoronavirus in a finisher barn in Perth County and of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in a farrow-to-wean barn in Middlesex County.

That brings the total to 21 outbreaks this month.

Province ups risk management funding

 

The Ontario government is boosting annual funding by $100 million for risk management programs.

The increases will come over three years, starting with $30 million this year.

The province has been contributing $150 million a year since 2020.

Farmers also pay more because their share will remain at 35 per cent.

The announcement comes one day before Premier Doug Ford will call an election to be held in March.

It also matches what a coalition of farm organizations asked for, including Beef Farmers of Ontario and Ontario Pork.

“Our government promised farmers we would continue to expand and enhance RMP (risk management programs), and with this historic investment, we have delivered,” said Agriculture Minister Rob Flack.

He also gave credit to previous Agriculture Minister Lisa Thompson.

Animal care standards proposed

The provincial government has posted proposals for animal care standards when inspectors seize livestock or poultry they deem to be suffering abuse.

There are separate standards for pets, for zoo animals, for farm animals and horses and for wildlife held in captivity.

The proposals are published on the Ontario Regulatory Registry.

Vaccines counter greasy pig syndrome

Autogenous vaccines can control greasy pig syndrome, said Dr. Marty Misener, a veterinarian at Millbank.

It’s usually not a problem in established herd since immunity passes from sows to piglets, but it can be problematic in new herds stocked with gilts, he said.

It is caused by bacteria that shed toxins that develop into skin infections that can cover the entire body.

Infected pigs become dehydrated, lose weight and may die.

The autogenous vaccines are administered to pregnant gilts who develop immunity which is passed to offspring.

Misener cited successful use of autogenous vaccine in Germany where the disease was resulting in 10 per cent mortality.

His report is published on the swineweb website.

RJ Taylor appointed to ARIO

 

RJ Taylor of Hanover has been appointed to a three-year term on Agriculture Research and Innovation of Ontario.

He owns Cedar Creek Trout Farm and has won Young Entrepreneur of the Year from the Hanover Chamber of Commerce.

Robots might handle pollination

Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed advanced robotic insects that handle pollination in controlled indoor environments such as vertical farms.

“These type of robots will open up a very new type of use case,” co-lead author Suhan Kim, from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, told Reuters news agency.

“For instance, we can think of artificial pollination. So since our robot looks like an insect, and it’s real lightweight and small, if you can really precisely control the robot we might be able to do something on top of flowers or leaves, which really requires very delicate interactions.”

The robots, each lighter than a paperclip, can hover for approximately 1,000 seconds, over 100 times longer than previous models. They are also capable of performing high-speed acrobatic maneuvers, including double aerial flips.

The new design halves the size of the team’s earlier model, with increased stability while also freeing up space for electronics.

“We want the robot to be able to have a [circuit] board, battery and the sensors on board. So to do that, we need much higher payload than now. So what we’re currently pushing very hard right now is to optimize the robot design to be able to lift more and more so that we can afford these potential payloads,” said Kim.

National food innovation group formed

Researchers involved in government-sponsored food research have come together as a national organization with headquarters at the Arrell Institute at the University of Guelph.

There will be three “nodes” at Laval university.in Quebec, the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia and the Territorial Agrifood Association in Yellowknife, Northwest Territory.

The network is called Sustainable Food Systems for Canada (SF4C) and members are post-secondary institutions in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and all three Prairie provinces, along with some non-governmental organizations.

“This will deepen connections across many regions and across a huge country among people who are very dedicated to pushing forward innovation in the agri-food sphere,” said Lenore Newman, Abbotsford-based director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley.

The $16.3 million SF4C project is an extension of that work. The funding covers five years.

It has funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Peavey closing all 90 stores

After announcing Wednesday that it would close about two dozen stores in Ontario and Nova Scotia, Peavey Mart of Red Deer, Alta., said it will be closing all 90 stores as it seeks bankruptcy court protection from its creditors.

Peavey bought the chain from TSC stores in 2016 and added Ace Hardware supplies from Rona in 2020 when it hit a peak of 107 stores.

It started in 1967 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia as National Farmway.

Metro profits increase

 

Metro supermarket chain reported a four per cent increase in profits to $245.4 million for its first quarter.

Revenues increased by 2.9 per cent to $5.1 billion.

It announced a 10.4  per cent increase in dividends to 37 cents per share.

Wheat-hauling ship freed from ice

The wheat-hauling ship trapped in ice after it unloaded at Buffalo has been freed and is well on its way to Sarnia.

The Manitoulin was trapped on Wednesday and freed by three ice breakers on Saturday.

One of them is accompanying the ship on its return to Sarnia.

Tahini under recall

Al-Watan brand tahini is under recall because it may be contaminated with food-poisoning salmonella bacteria.

The recall was initiated by the company.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said no illnesses have been linked to consuming this tahini.

Retail concentration stifles food processors

 

It’s harder for Canadian food processors to break into the market because too few supermarket chains dominate, said a report issued by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

This will hurt Canadian consumers if a trade war erupts with the United States, the authors said.

Three retailers hold 65 per cent of Canada’s grocery market share, said the report commissioned by MNP accounting firm. 

In the United States the top three hold about a third of the market.

It means food processors there have more choices to test the market. In Canada, they need enough volume to fully supply at least one of the top three.

It also means farmers and others in food production have less ability to negotiate prices, the report said. 

The challenge for testing new products makes it hard to scale up from production to manufacturing products ready for grocery-store shelves, the report said. 

Canadian producers currently are largely focused on exporting raw commodities that are not ready for retail.

A shortage of manufacturing will be felt in the event of a trade war with the U.S., said Janet Music, a PhD student at the Dalhousie lab who worked on the report.

Judge advances turkey price-fixing lawsuit

A federal judge this week granted class certification for two groups of turkey buyers in an antitrust lawsuit against some of the biggest processors in the country.

United States district judge Sunil Harjani ruled that the group of suppliers, restaurants and others could team up for the lawsuit, claiming Hormel, Butterball and others conspired to fix prices, according to court records.

The class period is January 2010 through December 2016. The case was filed in 2019

Wheat ship caught in ice

A Canadian freighter with 17 people on board got stuck in the ice on Lake Erie while departing Buffalo, according to the Coast Guard, which arrived with icebreaking equipment Thursday to begin freeing the vessel.

The 663-foot Manitoulin had dropped off a load of wheat and was heading back to Sarnia on Wednesday when it became stuck in ice that was rapidly forming in sub-zero temperatures off the Buffalo shoreline. It remained there through Thursday, creating a striking sight on the lake, surrounded on all sides by ice and snow.

“We just haven’t had a bad winter in quite a while. So now that we’ve had one and people haven’t seen this for a bit, they’re like ‘what’s going on?’” said Paul Angelillo, a search and rescue specialist with the Coast Guard in Buffalo.

Great Lakes freighters typically are able to navigate surface ice in the winter, but occasionally encounter ice that’s too hard or thick to break through, he said.

The Manitoulin wasn’t damaged and the captain and crew were safe, the Coast Guard said. A Coast Guard cutter started breaking up ice around the ship by Thursday afternoon.

U.S. egg prices soaring

Wholesale egg prices hit a record high of $6.14 ($8.82 Cdn) a dozen in the United States this month.

Economist Greg Archer of Texas A&M University said highly-infectious avian influenza is to blame.

Since Feb. 8, 2022, more than 134.7 million birds have been lost across 1,410 flock outbreaks, including 637 commercial and 773 backyard flocks, the federal government said.

The USDA reported 304 million table egg laying hens in the U.S. flock as of Jan. 1, a 2.3 per cent decline compared  with the 311 million laying hens at the same time last year.

Wholesale prices for large Grade A eggs hit an all-time high of $6.14 per dozen on average nationally Jan. 18 compared with $2.20 in 2-23 before the flu hit hard.

In Vancouver, where avian flu has hit hard for two months, the retail price for Grade A Large eggs is averaging $7 a dozen.

Dairy files appeal against milk board

St. Brigid’s Dairy Ltd. has filed an appeal against the Dairy Farmers of Ontario marketing board.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Appeal Tribunal has scheduled a hearing Feb. 28 to deal with preliminary matters.

The dairy is also known as St. Brigid’s Creamery and St. Brigid’s Dairy and is north of Brussels. It is famous for butter and includes some made from grass-fed milk.

Peavy closing dozens of stores

The company that owns Peavey stores, formerly TSC, is closing a couple dozen stores in Ontario.

They are in Chatham, Sarnia, Goderich, Collingwood, Mount Forest, Arnprior, Bedford, Bowmanville, Brockville, Cornwall, Goderich, Grimsby, Kingston, Kitchener, Lambeth, New Liskeard, Smiths Falls, St. Catharines, St. Jacobs, St. Thomas, Sudbury, Woodstock, and Uxbridge, Rockland and Hyde Park.

“While these closures are a necessary step, we remain committed to make every effort of returning to the value-driven, reliable service our customers have come to expect over the past six decades,” said Jest Sidloski, Peavy’s vice-president of customer experience.

Trump muzzles disease reporting

The Trump administration instructed federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, the Food and Drug Agency and the National Health Institute, to pause all external communications, such as health advisories, scientific reports and website updates, according to a report from the Washington Post. 

Reports on the H5N1 avian flu outbreak and other public health updates were expected this week but are now on hold. 

It remains unclear if the directive will delay urgent communications such as foodborne illness outbreaks or drug approvals, the report said.

Health officials expressed concern over the move, citing previous attempts during Trump’s first term to control messaging during the COVID-19 response. 

Dutch court orders nitrogen cuts

Dutch farmers will have to cut nitrogen emissions following a court order issued recently.

They have until 2030 to cut manure-containing manures used as fertilizer.

The court in The Hague said the government had clearly failed to comply with European regulations to preserve vulnerable nature reserves and cut excessive emissions of nitrogen oxides and ammonia, which hurt biodiversity and damage the quality of water, reports Reuters news agency.

It ordered the government to meet its target of reducing the emissions to legally allowed levels in 50 per cent of all affected nature reserves by 2030 and ruled that it should be fined 10 million euros ($15 million Cdn) if the goal was not met.

The lawsuit was brought by Greenpeace.

Ethanol co-op sold

Integrated Grain Processors (IGPC) of Aylmer, Ont., has been sold to Belgian company Alco.

It was started in 2002 by local farmers and businesses with support from governments and opened in 2007 to produce ethanol from Ontario corn.

Shareholders asked the board of directors to find a way they could realize the increasing value of the company since shares, one per person, were difficult to trade. 

It took two years to land the deal which now will be named AlcoEnergy.

Two more outbreaks of pig viruses

There have been two new outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and porcine delatcoronavirus, reported Swine Health Ontario.

Both were identified Jan. 16 in Perth County – porcine deltacoronavirus in a nursery barn, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in a finisher barn.

Those two come a day after Swine Health Ontario reported eight outbreaks of the two viruses.

Milk is getting fatter

The Canadian Dairy Commission reported that the average butterfat test of Canadian milk increased from 4.23 to 4.3 per cent last year.

It was good news for supply management which aims to balance milk production with demand on a butterfat basis.

There was less skim milk to contend with because Canadian consumer demand does not meet production, so the extra has to go somewhere, such as into livestock and pet foods or export.

Canada is facing accusations from United States and New Zealand dairies that it is breaking trade rules with exports of these no-fat products.

At the Dairy Farmers of Ontario annual meeting recently in Toronto, Benoit Basillais, chief executive officer of the Canadian Dairy Commission, said that the increase in butterfat percentage on farms means that in 2024 there was some skim milk that was worthless in that it could not be sold, but that amount (nine-tenths of one per cent) was 58 per cent less than the year before.

“Our goal is zero per cent. It’s very important for CDC, it’s very important that all SNF (solids, not fat, i.e. skim milk) be value added and generate income and that’s what we’re working on,” he said.

Food prices finally under control

After more than a year of leading inflation, food prices rose by less than the Consumer Price Index in December.

Food prices rose by six-tenths of one per cent while the overall index rose by 1.8 per cent.

Restaurant food prices decline by 1.6 per cent from a year ago and down by 4.6 per cent from November because of the temporary pause in the GST.

Removing food prices from the index means overall prices were up by 2.1 per cent.

Organic conference set

 

The Ontario Organic Conference will be Jan. 23 to 26 at the University of Guelph.

It features educational speakers and a trade show.

The feature speakers are Julia Shanks speaking about running a viable farm enterprise, Av Singh speaking about organic greenhouses and Jack Algiere speaking about transitioning top organic farming.

Asparagus John Jaques retiring

Picture courtesy The Grower

John Jaques, famous for his waist-length beard and growing and selling asparagus, is retiring after almost 40 years with the Ontario Asparagus Growers.

Jaques, who has a farm and retail outlet at Thamersville, served 12 years as chairman of the asparagus board.

He is also a past chairman of Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers, chairman of its safety nets committee, past chairman of the finance committee of Canadian Horticulture Council, past chairman of the Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council, director on Fox Seeds,  member of the North American Asparagus committee and the inaugural chairman of the Ontario Fresh Vegetable Grower marketing boatf.

He was involved on a federal-provincial committee to develop an alternative to traditional crop insurance for fresh Fruits and Vegetables the Self-Directed Risk Management program.

 Mike Cromzack, asparagus grower and chairman of its environment an climate change committee, said his “impact on the Edible Horticulture Farmers cannot be overstated. His dedication and passion for our industry have inspired countless farmers, and his leadership has paved the way for future generations.

 “We are grateful for his years of service and the profound influence he has had in our agricultural sector.”

Salmonella sickens 61 mini pastries consumers

 

The Public Health Agency of Canada said 61 cases of salmonella, including 17 that have required hospitalization, have been linked to recalled mini pastries.

The agency said the Sweet Cream brand mini pastries have been distributed at bakeries, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals, retirement residences, and have been served at catered events.

A statement said 33 cases are in Quebec, 21 in Ontario, four in British Columbia, two in Alberta and one in New Brunswick.

The public-health agency said people who got sick range in age from three to 88 and 61 per cent of them are female.

A notice issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the recall covers Sweet Cream mini patisserie four-kilogram boxes and one-kilogram trays with best before dates from June 17, 2025, up to and including Nov. 15, 2025.

Kevin McDougald to head ARIO

 

Kevin McDougald has been chosen to head the Agriculture Research and Innovation program, taking over from Lorne Hepworth who held the position since 2019.

ARIO advises the Ontario government on agricultural research and innovation and its research spending, most of it at the University of Guelph. It owns 14 research centres.

Nevin McDougall recently has been a partner in RHA Ventures Inc. and president of A&L Laboratories. He has science and business degrees from the University of Guelph.

He was instrumental in the modernization of the ARIO Act.

Farm Boy to recycle takeout containers

 

Farm Boy supermarkets, a sister chain to Sobey’s, has signed a deal with the Friendlier company to recycle takeout containers.

Customers will be able to return the containers to Farm Boy and Friendlier will pick them up and clean them.

Friendlier was founded by two University of Waterloo graduates of chemical engineering and has raised $8 million since it was founded in 2019. It has 70 staff now from Vancouver to Edmonton, Ottawa and Guelph.

It tested its idea with the Farm Boy store in Guelph and the deal now includes stores in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Hamilton and Guelph.There are 50 Farm Boy stores in the chain.

Salmonella eggs on recall

 

Eggs that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said may be contaminated with food-poisoning Salmonella bacteria are on recall in Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia.

They were from Burnbrae Farms of Lyn, Ont. The company holds more than 25 per cent of the Canadian egg market.

The recall in Ontario involves Our Compliments (Sobeys) and No Name (Loblaws) brands.

In British Columbia the recalls are for Foremost, Golden Valley, IGA and Western Family brand names.

The CFIA detected the issue with its testing and said there have been no reports of illnesses.

Cargill pays $32.5 million for turkeys deal

 

Cargill has reached a $32.5 million settlement ($46.8 million Cdn) with turkey customers to resolve allegations that the company conspired with other companies to fix prices, according to federal court records.

If approved, this settlement will bring the total recovery for the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs class-action lawsuit to $37.1 million ($53.3 million Cdn), following a $4.6 million settlement with Tyson Foods in 2021.

In addition to monetary relief, Cargill has agreed to provide cooperation to aid the customers in their ongoing claims against defendants who have not settled their lawsuit involvement.

New label for meat alternatives

 

The United States Food and Drug Administration is proposing labeling rules that would highlight some of the least favourable aspects of meat alternatives, reports Alt-Meat online news service.

The label would go on the front of packages to report the amounts of saturated fat, sodium (salt) and added sugars.

Kevin McDougald to head ARIO

Kevin McDougald has been chosen to head the Agriculture Research and Innovation program, taking over from Lorne Hepworth who held the position since 2019.

ARIO advises the Ontario government on agricultural research and innovation and its research spending, most of it at the University of Guelph. It owns 14 research centres.

Nevin McDougall recently has been a partner in RHA Ventures Inc. and president of A&L Laboratories. He has science and business degrees from the University of Guelph.

He was instrumental in the modernization of the ARIO Act.

Eight PED outbreaks

There have been a record-breaking eight outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and porcine deltavcoronavirus in Waterloo Region and Oxford County, Swine Health Ontario reported Thursday.

All are in finishing barns.

There are four outbreaks of each of the two viruses.

Two are in Oxford, six in Waterloo.

There have been nine other outbreaks this month.

Emily McNulty wiins equine award

 

Emily McNulty, a third-year student in the University of Guelph Equine Management program, has won th 2024 Roger L'Heureux Memorial Equine Award. 

 

McNulty will receive two online courses through Equine Guelph valued at $625 each. She will earn a certificate after completing six courses.

 

She said “I love to hear other perspectives on training techniques and management practices to be able to adjust my practices in the best interest of my horses.”

 

She has owed horses for nearly a decade and has competed in barrel racing and western games for the past four years. 

 

She is a member of the Guelph Western Equestrian team and has competed in western horsemanship with the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association for three years.

                                    

Bunge purchase of Viterra approved by Canada

 

Bunge said its $47.8-billion deal to buy Viterra is close to being finalized after Canada approved the merger, reports Reuters News Agency.

Canada has imposed conditions including Bunge’s divestiture of six grain elevators in Western Canada and a binding commitment from Bunge to invest at least $520 million in Canada within the next five years, according to a statement from the transport ministry.

The approval also requires strict and legally binding controls on Bunge’s minority stake in Saudi-owned grain company G3 to ensure Bunge cannot influence G3’s pricing or investment decisions, the ministry said.

Bunge, Viterra and G3 account for a combined one-third of Western Canada’s elevator capacity.

Canada accused of export milk dumping

New Zealand, Australian and United States dairy companies are accusing Canada of dumping low-priced milk products on world markets and are asking their governments to intervene.

Dumping is a technical trade term that basically means exporting at prices below the cost of production.

Industry groups from the three nations have written to their trade and agriculture ministers and officials expressing concern over the impact of “Canada’s trade delinquency” on dairy protein markets, the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand said Thursday. 

“Of concern is the purposeful design of Canada’s milk pricing mechanisms to under-price the surplus milk protein generated by its domestic supply management system and incentivize disposal onto world markets,” the New Zealand association said in a statement. 

“Collective and coordinated action is requested to address the mechanisms being used by Canada to enable these exports to be dumped on world markets.”

It seems to me they have a strong case.

The United States, New Zealand and the European Union also accuse Canada of protecting milk supply management through its administration of quotas for lower-tariff imports granted in international trade agreements.

Ontario dairies garner $7.18 million in subsidies

 

The federal and Ontario agriculture departments said they have grant $7.18 million for 70 projects in the dairy industry, but have another more money in their kitty for applicants who handle cow, goat, sheep and water buffalo milk.

The money is to enhance and modernize dairy processing capacity and food safety.

It is a cost-sharing program that is expected to generate approximately $22 million in total capital investments.

Successful applicants can receive up to $200,000 in cost-shared funding to enhance processing efficiency and food safety in their facilities. 

One of the projects already approved is for Ontario Water Buffalo Co. in Hastings County to increase production and improve food safety through the acquisition of a batch freezer, heat combination machine, and a pasteurizer. That grant was for up to $53,925.

Windsor chip maker gets $1 million loan

 

Cedar Valley has been granted a $1 million loan from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario to add specialized equipment at its new 12,000-square-foot facility in Windsor.

It has 29 employees and plans to hire more to make pita chips.

"Really this will let us become the number one pita chip company in Canada and then a really big competitor in the United States because we are going up against a big conglomerate as a small family company so we do have a big challenge on our hands but we're very excited to see that growth," said Ameen Fadel, president and co-founder of Cedar Valley.

Bird flu in Wellington County

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has reported a second outbreak of highly-pathogenic avian influenza in Wellington County.

It says on its website that the two outbreaks are related to each other.

Ryding-Regency fined $650.000

 

The court has fined three connected meat-packing companies, led by Ryding-Regency Meat Packers, a total of $650,000 for “brazen disregard” of Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations.

Ryding-Regency is bankrupt and Canadian Select Meats and Beef Boutique are out of business.

An agreed statement of facts outlines how lab test results detecting E. coli 0167-H7 in 61 samples were swapped with results indicating the meat in question had no food-poisoning bacteria and the meat was sold to Canadians, Americans and Chinese.

The prosecution noted that the food-poisoning bacteria is the same one involved in the deadly drinking water crisis in Walkerton in 2010.

No illnesses were identified as linked to this tainted meat.

All charges against three company principals - Anthony Pertronaci, Ellen Cosman and Chuck Oulton - were withdrawn as part of the deal between prosecution and defence lawyers.

It took them four years to arrive at an agreed statement of facts.

The defence lawyer said the CFIA delegated its authority to a Ryding-Regency employee who falsified the documents without the knowledge of the owners.

The infractions persisted from May, 2018, to September, 2019, before a CFIA inspector became curious about discrepancies in the dates of the all-clear lab results and the certificates for the meat to be marketed.

After a search warrant to obtain company documents were matched with documents from the independent lab, the prosecution concluded that 61 certificates were involved for 74,000 kilograms of beef.

That prompted the judge to call it "brazen disregard" for CFIA rules and regulations and said had there not been an agreed statement of facts, he would have handed a much more severe sentence.

The defence lawyer argued that only beef trim, or about one per cent, was involved.

Ryding-Regency shipped to Canadian Select Meats and Beef Boutique which conducted further processing. The misleading lab results applied to all three companies.

The court decision, which was oral, was delivered in August and it has taken Ontario Farmer since then to discover the decision. The Canadian Food Inspection was asked repeatedly about the decision and said it did not have a copy. 

It took engagement of a court transcription service to obtain the decision.