Report calls on CFIA to be compassionate

 

A report by three farm organizations in Western Canada is calling on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to be compassionate, provide more compensation and be more transparent when dealing with disease outbreaks that involve destruction of farmers’ complete herds and flocks.

There have been dozens of outbreaks of avian influenza, especially recently in British Columbia and Alberta.

Producers require empathetic support, better compensation and information sharing during a disease outbreak said speakers at a forum organized by Animal Health Canada.

The report was issued by the Outbreak Support Network which is supported by the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network, Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership and the Western Canadian Animal Health Network.

The report addressed outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis, foot and mouth disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Betty Althouse, former chief veterinary officer for Saskatchewan, said “the goal of the Outbreak Support Network is to establish a framework for supporting private veterinary practitioners and producers dealing with a suspected or confirmed case reportable to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.”

The goal of the network’s current phase is to articulate problems, develop solutions and make recommendations for the next phase. Althouse said in a recent speech about the interim report.

By far, the top one was communication and information sharing, she said. 

This creates a problem where producers are at the intersection of various agencies asking them for the same information, such as local health units and CFIA.

“That is very frustrating to public health, and it’s also very frustrating to the producers, because they’re hearing another federal agency that they don’t know whether it’s different or the same from CFIA … asking the same questions they’ve already answered.”

She encouraged more information-sharing methods and transparency among jurisdictions to address this problem.

She said the CFIA assigns a case officer and that can make a big difference by providing a single source for reliable information throughout the response to the disease outbreak, yet sometimes information is left out.

Farmers also said they felt the CFIA lacked empathy for the stress involves in depopulation.

Private veterinarians have complained about lack of compensation for the time they spend helping farmers, including those within quarantine zones.

She said some poultry specialist veterinarians felt they had as much or more expertise than CFIA officials and they wanted their input considered and included.

They were a little resentful of the time that was expected of them on calls and working groups that they weren’t paid for, Althouse said.

Coordination and standardized frameworks among government agencies will be important, she said, and the CFIA website should be made easier to navigate.

She said the industry should consider insurance. Deborah Whale of Ontario led a years-long effort to develop am disease insurance program. Canada’s national egg marketing agency has a reciprocal insurance program.

Country or origin labelling rules announced

 

The United States has announced new regulations for its voluntary Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) law.

The changes extend the COOL regulations from prime cuts to multi-ingredient processed meats. 

To qualify for a Product of the USA label, the meats must be from animals, born, raised and slaughtered in the United States.

Spices and flavourings don’t need to be from the U.S.

The rules say the meaning of “raised” is “from birth to slaughter and the term “harvested” may be used to mean "slaughtered"

Tyson, Cargill ready to pay for beef price-fixing

 Tyson Foods and Cargill have told a federal judge in the District of Columbia that they are ready to settle a lawsuit for beef consumers who filed a class-action lawsuit alleging price-fixing.

Up to 36 million Americans could be in line for a share of the settlement but will need proof of their beef purchases.

Tyson has offered $55 million and Cargill $32.5 million; in Canadian currency, that’s a total of $121.15 million.

The judge has given preliminary approval to the deal, but the final decision has yet to be issued.

                           

Three PED outbreaks

 

 

Swine Health Ontario reported three new outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus on Dec. 8.

They are at a nursery and a finishing barn in Perth County and a farrow-to-wea facility in Wellington County.

CFIA finds filler in grated cheeses

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said 45 per cent of the hard grated cheeses it tested had too much cellulose.

That amounts to cheating consumers because cellulose is much cheaper than hard cheese. It’s added to prevent caking.

The finding is in a report te CFIA issued recently about its checking for fraud and false label claims.

It’s no surprise that virgin olive oil was the biggest offender because it has been found wanting in previous years and it’s a world-wide issue.

Referee rules railway must pay for drains

Chatham-Kent has won a victory against Canadian Pacific – Kansas Railway.

The Ontario Drainage Referee has ruled the railway must pay for drainage work along its railway line.

For railway refused to pay for municipal drainage work.

The Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA), which presented impacts to rural municipalities as a legal intervenor, said in a press release that the ruling is “an important milestone.”

ROMA chair Christa Lowry said its argument in favour of Chatham-Kent showed compelling evidence that the corporation was systematically disregarding laws that have governed drainage in Ontario for 150 years,

“Through collaboration with many rural municipalities, we illustrated the financial, economic, and environmental impact of this behaviour on rural communities,” ROMA said in a news release.

U.S. negotiator calls for separatge trade deals for CUSMA

Jamieson Greer, who plays a key role in all trade negotiations, including the upcoming review of the trade deal among Canada, Mexico and the United States (CUSMA,) is laying out a strong case for separate bilateral deals with Canada and Mexico.

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau promised Mexico that Canada would not strike a separate deal.

The three countries have had joint deals for 30 years and the neighbours have felt they stand a better chance negotiating together than alone with the U.S.

But Greer told a recent meeting of the Atlantic Council that our economic relationship with Canada is very, very different than our economic relationship with Mexico.

"The labour situation's different. The import-export profile is different. The rule of law is different. So it makes sense to talk about things separately with Canada and Mexico," he said.

The United States has until Jan. 2 to indicate to Congress whether it wants to extend the agreement, renegotiate its terms or let it expire.

Jamieson Greer, who plays a key role in all trade negotiations, including the upcoming review of the trade deal among Canada, Mexico and the United States (CUSMA,) is laying out a strong case for separate bilateral deals with Canada and Mexico.

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau promised Mexico that Canada would not strike a separate deal.

The three countries have had joint deals for 30 years and the neighbours have felt they stand a better chance negotiating together than alone with the U.S.

But Greer told a recent meeting of the Atlantic Council that our economic relationship with Canada is very, very different than our economic relationship with Mexico.

"The labour situation's different. The import-export profile is different. The rule of law is different. So it makes sense to talk about things separately with Canada and Mexico," he said.

The United States has until Jan. 2 to indicate to Congress whether it wants to extend the agreement, renegotiate its terms or let it expire.

Pork Council launches 10 learning modules

 

The Canadian Pork Council has added 10 modules to its online PigLEARN training platform. 

They will come online in January and the council said more are on the way.

The service began in March and how has 86 modules for training workers.

Mark Fynn, the council’s training resources coordinator, said the new modules take a full, detailed look at handling pigs at every stage of life.

The modules are:

·       Understanding basic pig behavior and how pigs perceive their environment

·       Core principles for moving pigs calmly and safely

·       Age-specific handling techniques for piglets, growing pigs, sows and boars.

·       Loading and unloading pigs for transport

“These resources build confidence and help workers understand both the animal and the process,” said Fynn. “

Twenty modules under development will deal with worker health and safety training and are scheduled for publication about a year from now.

Roundup research paper trashed

 

The scientific Journal of  Regularity Toxicology and Pharmacology has trashed a research paper it published 25 years ago. The paper concluded glyphosate is safe if used as directed.

Now the journal said an investigation found undisclosed industry involvement, reliance on unpublished Monsanto data and omissions of conflicting evidence.

“The scientific concerns … regarding (ghost-) authorship(s) and potential conflicts of interest, none of which have been responded to, are sufficient to warrant this action,” the retraction authors said.

Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide became the standard for weed control in corn and soybeans after Monsanto also genetically engineered those crops to survive spraying with Roundup.

Roundup was also widely used to kill off all plants after harvest and before planting.

Its safety was challenged in lawsuits, beginning with a California school employee who was stricken with cancer and blamed Roundup. Bayer, which bought Monsanto, paid millions of dollars after losing that and a few other court challenges.

Derek Haley chosen director

 Derek Haley is the new director of the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare at the University of Guelph.

Haley is a faculty member in the Department of Population Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College.

He has researched animal welfare issues such as long-distance transportation, weaning stress and the welfare of culled dairy cows. 

Prior to joining the veterinary college was livestock welfare specialist with Alberta Agriculture, where he advanced animal welfare initiatives across multiple provinces. 

He is fluent in French and has a track record of working with producers, veterinarians and policymakers across Canada, the college said.

                           

Student captures feed value in whey

 

Master’s degree student Tatum Schooley has found a way to capture a valuable feed for cattle from whey.

Her challenge was to find value in whey that costs about $1,000 a truckload for small cheese plants to haul away.

She found that adding bentonite to the whey prompted it to separate with proteins settling to the bottom and a lactose liquid rises to the top, can be pumped off and be used in TMR rations.

She also found no change in cows’ body weight, body condition, milk yield and milk fat. There was some evidence milk protein levels increased and milk lactose decreased.

 

Schooley worked under associate professor Katie Wood at the Department of Animal Science at the University of Guelph. Wood reported on the research at a dairy day put on by the university.

One rabid bat in November

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reports there was rabies found in one bat in Ontario in November.

There were 105 before November plus six rabies-infected red foxes.

Nationally the total of rabies cases so far this year is 266.

Trump threatens fertilizer tariffs

 

While he was announcing $12 billion in tariff-relief subsidies for farmers, United States President threatened to impose new tariffs on fertilizer from Canada.

He also threatened to impose tariffs on rice from India.

He said the imports are making it difficult for U.S. companies to compete.

Nutrien is the world’s largest fertilizer producer and is based in Saskatoon.

Trump said a lot of it (fertilizer) does come in from Canada, and so we’ll end up putting very severe tariffs on that, if we have to, because that’s the way you want to bolster here,.

“And we can do it here. We can all do that here.” 

Canadian agr. leaders support CUSMA

 

Ninety-eight agriculture organizations and companies have written an open letter to the federal government asking that the Canada-United States- Mexico trade agreement remain as it is.

Their advice comes as governments are asking what they should do during the CUSMA review that is scheduled to begin in July.

The United States agriculture industry has also appeared at hearings in Washington and also asked for CUSMA to continue.

“We are calling on governments to maintain the agreement’s SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) provisions, which have improved transparency and ensured science-based treatment of agricultural products—protecting plant and animal health,” the letter said.

“The continuation of science-based regulatory cooperation is critical to ensuring timely access to agricultural innovations.”

The letter said that between 2005 and 2023, CUSMA tripled the value of North American agriculture and agrifood trade to approximately $400 billion.

Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said while he hopes for a deal that’s better for Canadian farmers, he doesn’t want that to come at the expense of farmers in the United States and Mexico.

MARS picks nine leaders

 

MARS Discovery District of Toronto has picked nine people to lead its investments in agriculture technology companies which are launching new ventures.

MARS is best known for investing in medical technologies. In its early stages it was led by Ken Knox who was deputy minister for the province’s agriculture department.

Farm Credit Canada is supporting MARS’ entry into the agriculture sector. Lisa Ashton of RBC bank’s Thought Leadership is also involved at MARS.

The nine people chosen are:

 

• Luke Scales, co-founder of Arbia (Formerly known as Stocky AI)
  Arbia is an AI-powered operating system for food suppliers that automates workflows, optimizes sales channels and buyer discovery through a B2B marketplace.
•  
• Corey Ellis, CEO and co-founder of Growcer
  Growcer is a manufacturer of modular hydroponic farms that provides a simple solution to locally grow and sell fresh, profitable crops year-round, regardless of the climate.
•  
• Pierre-Xavier Roy, COO and co-founder of Hydro Cool Systems 
  Hydro Cool Systems is developing an intelligent, zero-carbon, mobile refrigeration system optimized for delivering food.
•  
• Lourdes Juan, CEO and founder of Knead Tech
  Knead Tech is a software company that enables scalable food recovery solutions, helping food rescue organizations track and co-ordinate donations, ensure food safety and measure impact.
•  
• Francois Menard, CEO and founder of PULR Technologies 
  PULR Technologies provides foundational infrastructure for Industry 5.0 with AI-enabled regenerative electronics to improve traceability and optimize shelf life of ingredients and products.
•  
• Marcia Woods, CEO and founder of Purchs
  Purchs is a B2B SaaS platform that automates the entire order-to-cash workflow for brands, distributors and retailers working in consumer-packaged goods.
•  
• Wayne McIntyre, CEO of Relocalize 
  Relocalize has developed autonomous micro-factories to create packaged ice and water cold packs that cut both costs and carbon emissions.
•  
• Yun Yao, CEO and co-founder of SoraLink
  SoraLink provides a predictive maintenance service for industrial machines using AI and machine learning to analyze data and prevent equipment breakdowns for food processors.
•  
• Gaurav Tewari, CEO and president of Tewari De-Ox Systems 
  Tewari De-Ox Systems has invented and patented packaging technique for extending the shelf life of meat and poultry.

---

 

 

Solio to build corn seed facility

 

Solio co-operative is planning to build an $8.8 million seed processing plant at Blenheim for its Maizex Seeds business it bought in 2019.

The facility will feature state-of-the-art cleaning, sizing and packaging equipment, Sollio Agriculture said.

It will copy the idea of single-storey flow through used in the existing plant at Tilbury.

General manager Blake Ashton said the company is truly fortunate to grow seed corn in one of the best seed corn production areas in the world. This investment confirms our savoir-faire and expertise, and our desire to support our customers, the profitability of their farms, and our commercial growth for the future.

Canada closes border to pork from Spain

Canada has closed its border to pork and pigs from Spain following an outbreak of African Swine Fever in wild pigs in Barcelona province.

But many other countries are accepting pork from provinces other than Barcelona.

The status is:

• China, the main destination for Spanish exports, has closed its borders only to the province of Barcelona. This regionalization includes the districts of Osona, Bages, and Lluçanès, where a significant portion of Catalan pork production is concentrated. Furthermore, according to government information, a total of 14 meat processing plants within the province of Barcelona will be unable to export to China.
• 
  
• Japan, the fourth leading destination, has completely suspended imports and, unlike China, does not accept regionalization. The Spanish Ministry is working to get the country to accept a scheme similar to the one already approved by China.
• 
  
• South Korea accepts regionalization, a result of the existing agreement between the EU and that country.
• 
  
• The Philippines, while accepting regionalization, is not currently authorizing CEXGAN certificates and is awaiting a prompt solution.
• 
  
• Serbia is in negotiations to accept the regionalization of the European Union (EU).
• 
  
• Chile, in principle, accepts the regionalization of the EU.
• 
  
• Mexico has also suspended imports from Spain. In this context, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, held an in-person meeting in Mexico City with the Minister of Agriculture, who agreed to hear firsthand about the epidemiological situation and the containment measures implemented. Both parties committed to maintaining constant communication with the aim of reopening the Mexican market "as soon as possible."
• 
  
• Argentina lifted restrictions on some products, such as pork products cured for at least six months or salted tripe.

Other markets that remain closed and with which reopening is being negotiated include Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Cuba, Ukraine, Vietnam, Thailand, and Canada.

Trump calls for food price inquiry

President Donald Trump has ordered the creation of “Food Supply Chain Security Task Forces” to investigate “anti-competitive behavior” among meat processors and other food industry players.

A previous probe into meat industry wound up recently and almost immediately the Department of Justice announced a new investigation into the meat-packing industry.

There have been a multitude of class-action lawsuits alleging price-fixing in the pork, chicken, turkey and beef industries and many out-of-court settlements for hundreds of millions of dollars.

The new Trump-ordered task forces will be created through the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, and will “take all necessary and appropriate actions” in their investigations of not just the food supply chain, but moreover, “whether control of food-related industries by foreign entities is increasing the cost of food products in the United States or creating a national or economic security threat to Americans.”

“Anti-competitive behavior, especially when carried out by foreign-controlled corporations, threatens the stability and affordability of America’s food supply,” Trump’s order said

 

Should Attorney General Pam Bondi uncover “criminal collusion,” Trump continued, criminal proceedings will commence “as appropriate,” including grand juries. The task forces are to provide updates to numerous congressional leaders first within the next 180 days, and then within the investigation’s first year.

Trump has also eased tariffs and other rules to attract more beef imports from Argentina. He has also been advised to allow more beef imports from Mexico where there are new concerns about screwworms.

                           

 

U.S. to give farmers $12 billion

 

United States President Donald Trump is giving farmers $12 billion 

Farm groups and Republican farm-state politicians have lobbied for the subsidies to offset prices for seed, fertilizer and other expenses for next year’s growing season. Soybean sales to China because of tariffs and stalled trade taks.

Up to $11 billion of the aid is meant for a newly designed Farmer Bridge Assistance program for row crop farmers hurt by trade disputes. One billion is for other crops.

 

During his first term, Trump gave about $23 billion in aid to farmers hurt by his trade policies. Farmers were already set to receive a near-record $40 billion in government payments this year, fueled by ad-hoc disaster and economic aid.

Would the Carney government threaten countervailing duties?

Airline fined for chick deaths

Menzies Aviation (Canada) Ltd. not only lost its appeal of a $9,000 fine over chick deaths, but had the fine increased to $10,000 by the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal.

Half the chicks were dead by the time the flight landed for a stop-over at Quatar, the airline ignored the buyer’s request to stop there and have the chicks condemned and 80 per cent were dead on arrival at the destination in the Philippines.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the chicks were exposed to severe weather in the Canadian warehouse before they were loaded on the airplane.

Grey County supports farm experiments

Grey County sponsored six farm experiments in what staff called a "very successful" Experimental Acres program for 2025.

This was the third year that Grey County ran Experimental Acres, which provides a micro-grant to Grey County producers who design an on-farm trial to test practices which may improve sustainability or build soil health on farms.

This year’s projects were:

-       Exploring alternative grazing sources that can support cattle in hot, dry summer months (15 acres) - Joshua Bye, Meaford

·       Creating apple guilds, which are considered a more disease-resistant, higher yield production method (0.5 - 1 acre) - Dr. Cristina Allen, Meaford 

·       Late-summer seeding hay to maintain living roots and increase soil health (20 acres) - Wade Deaken, Appinbrook Farm, West Grey

·       Overseeding turnip to extend fall grazing (up to 230 acres) - Peter Kotzeff, West Grey

·       Using pastured poultry to increase soil fertility (0.25 acre) - Gillian Griffin, Flora Grey, Chatsworth

·       Trying different mulching practices around fruit trees (1 acre) - Anthony Rabideau, Southgate

Vincenzo’s snack on recall

 

Vincenzo’s sweet and savory mix is on recall because the company identified salmonella food-poisoning bacteria.

Vincenzo’s is an upscale specialty grocery store in Waterloo.

Christmases recalled

Do you recall Christmases as a child? I do.

I grew up on a farm and when I was really young, my parents were poor.

They struggled to make ends meet on a 50-acre farm of hills filled with sand and gravel.

They had nothing to give their two boys for Christmas.

So I remember one Christmas our gifts were wooden blocks from Dad’s workshop.

We provided the imaginations. And those blocks were fun.

My parents were regular church attenders, so Christmas was about the birth of baby Jesus, the angels, shepherds and wise men.

But the excitement was about Santa Claus who would come down the chimney and leave presents.

Christmas morning there would be a plate by my bedside with nuts and cookies and one orange. The only orange we would ever see that winter.

After waking up, it was morning chores.

The milk cows got extra bedding in their stalls and the best second-cut hay we could find in the mow.

Likewise the pigs got clean stalls and extra bedding.

And then we would rush to the house, eager to open presents.

But wait. First the Christmas story was read from the Bible.

Then breakfast. I can’t remember any special food, only the interminable waiting.

And then we would gather in the living room, Dad and Mom on the couch, we boys on the floor.

And we would then hand out the wrapped packages to the person whose name was on the tag.

I remember my gifts, other than the wooden blocks, being home-made pajamas and new underwear.

As we grew older, the clothing became pants and shirts, then skates and hockey sticks and one year a giant long toboggan.

We cleared patches of ice in the hollows between those sand and gravel hills and would play shinney. Later we went to the sawmill pond and with the help of a few friends, would clear a bigger patch of ice for shinney. 

The annoying part was digging the puck out of the snow banks around the rink.

Our feet would be so cold that they were numb and our fingers so frozen that we would stick them in beside the cows’ udders and legs to get warm.

The toboggan was dragged across the road to the neighbour’s hill that was so big and steep it wasn’t farmed. We could glide a long way, a bit further each descent if we could keep inside the previous track.

As simple and sparse our Christmases were - but only in hindsight - we never considered ourselves poor, nor were we jealous of friends whose parents were only slightly better off.

There are lots of other memories, most of them when we were six to 10 years old. 

We would have parts in the Christmas concert at the one-room school, the stage planks set on trestles, the blackboard decorated in coloured chalk, a tree with home-made decorations. And Santa would come at the end wearing rubber boots exactly like my father’s.

We also participated in church pageants that my father wrote and directed, so popular that they were put on every night for a week and lots of people came about 10 miles from Kitchener. 

Mom, who was a school teacher, did the editing to correct grammar and spelling. The pageants were written to suit the talents of actors drawn from the congregation.

Dad had studied drama in Germany and had equipment to make beards, built floodlights and sets that were stored between Christmases in the driving shed loft.

It was always wonderful fun.

Christmas was always special. Still is.

 

 

 

 

The rules for septic systems for farm workers’ housing are being switched from the Ontario Ministry of Environment to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

The government said on its regulations website that it doesn’t need to consult with the public on this change, but is nevertheless open to comments.

The rules themselves remain the same.