CFIA suspends two licences

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended the licence held by 2658645 Ontario  Inc. which does business as Cucina Fresca located in Stoney Creek, Ontario.

It also suspended the licence held by 2005937 Alberta Inc. which does business as BOOBY FOOD. Its licence was suspended in March and after an appeal, the CFIA has confirmed the cancellation.

Plastics cleanup reveals progress

 There has been a 16 per cent decline in plastic bags and three per cent in plastic utensilsd reports the Ocean Wise organization in Vancover.

But these gains are also being offset by increases in items not covered by current regulations, it said in its annual rreport.

The number of coffee cups and lids found by volunteers rose by 19 per cent, emerging as a growing source of shoreline pollution.

Ocean Wise conducts ocean coast trash pickups.

“The data shows what happens when policy targets specific items, and also what happens when it doesn’t,” said Jennie Moushos, interim chief executive officer of Ocean Wise. 

“We’re seeing clear progress, but the rise of items like coffee cups and lids shows that the current list of banned items needs to be expanded urgently.”

Vonteers removed more than 13,445 kilograms of waste from waterways last year.

 

                           -30-

Carney includes farm advice

 

There are several voices for agriculture on a new panel Prime Minister Mark Carney has chosen to advise the government on trade talks with the United States.

 

The ones he appointed include former Quebec premier Jean Charest, former Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole, former Liberal Canadian Wheat Board minister Ralph Goodale, as well as business leaders such as Darryl White, chief executive officer (ceo) of BMO Financial Group, Tracy Robinson,  ceo of CN Rail ,rançois Poirier , ceo of TC ERneergy and Ken Seitz ceo of Nutrien.

 

“I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to represent Canada’s agri-food exporters on this committee,” said Michael Harvey, executive director of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA).

The alliance represents 90 per cent of Canada’s agri-food exporters.

Other committee members include Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association president Flavio Volpe, Canadian Chamber of Commerce ceo Candace Laing and Unifor union president Lana Payn.

                               

The Prime Minister’s Office said the committee will serve as a “forum for expertise and strategy on all aspects of the Canada-U.S. economic relationship” and its first meeting will be April 27.

 

The new advisors replace the Council on Canada-U.S. Relations, established in mid-January, 2025, by then-prime minister Justin Trudeau.

 

Metro sales rise on discount banners

Metro Inc. reported a sales increase of 4.1 per cent to $5.1 billion for its second quarter, led by shoppers preferring discount stores such as Food Basics.

“We are pleased with the expansion of our discount store network, which continues to fuel food sales growth, as well as with the sustained sales momentum in our pharmacy business,” Metro’s president and chief executive officer Eric La Flèche said in a press release on Wednesday.

Profits increased to $246 million from $220 million for the same quarter last year.

The earnings included a one-time gain on the disposal of warehouses the company no longer uses. Including that and other adjustments, net earnings grew by 4.4 per cent to $236.5-million in the quarter.

More pistachio products recalled

 

Months after the first pistachio recalls, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency listed 28 more distributed in Ontario to its long list of products contaminated with salmonella food-poisoning bacteria.

The previous recalls were linked to pistachios imported from Iran.

The products are from Kunafa/s Inc. It has facilities in Ajax, Mississauga, Scarborough and London.

Whole milk found better for children

 

The University of Toronto has reviewed research reports to conclude that children who consume whole-fat milk may have a lower risk of obesity compared to those who drink reduced-fat alternatives.

The findings challenge longstanding dietary guidelines that recommended low-fat dairy products for children as a strategy to manage weight and improve health outcomes.

They said the research indicates that children who drank whole milk were less likely to be overweight or obese than those consuming lower-fat milk varieties.

The study said that whole milk may contribute to greater satiety, potentially reducing overall calorie intake throughout the day. 

This could explain why children consuming higher-fat dairy products do not necessarily experience increased weight gain, despite the higher calorie content, the research report said.

Ontario to restrict foreign farmland ownership

 

Ontario is planning to introduce legislation that would restrict foreign acquisition of provincial farmland much as has already been done by Alberta and Quebec.

But Agriculture Minister Trevor Jones provided no details about the restrictions when he spoke recently at King City.

He did have more to say about plans to offer government-owned land in the Northern Ontario Clay Belt for rent to farmers.

He said the two measures will provide good-paying jobs and drive economic growth by keeping Ontario farmlands under

local ownership and unlocking the full agricultural potential of the Clay Belt region.

The Clay Belt has about 180,000 square kilometres on both sides of the Ontario–Quebec border and contains extensive areas of potentially fertile soils that are well-suited to agriculture, including forage, field crops, and livestock production, with appropriate drainage and management, the government said in a news release.

While land on the Quebec side of the border has seen substantial development for agricultural purposes, land on the Ontario side remains comparatively less utilized for agriculture, it said.

These changes would make it easier for Ontario farmers to lease or access arable land on the Clay Belt, unlock new opportunities for the province’s agriculture sector, create jobs, protect provincial food security and grow Ontario food production, it said.

Much of the land needs drainage and it’s not clear whether the province will do that or leave it to tenants.

Concerns have been raised in some parts of Ontario when Chinese investors purchased farms and related businesses.

The United States farming communities have expressed similar concerns.

Food inflation continues high

Food prices rose by 4.4 per cent in March.

Fresh vegetable prices were 7.8 per cent more expensive than a year earlier.

Monthly prices for food rose by the most since August.

Energy prices increased by more than 26 per cent and drove the overall inflation rate up by 2.4 per cent.

Wine makers make a blend for charity

 

Three wine makers are blending some of their pinot noir to be auctioned online for charity.

The three are Niagara winemakers Thomas Bachelder, Matt Smith and Ilya Senchuk.

It is the 26^th year for the wine-for-charity event. This year the beneficiaries will be Tree Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and other climate action agencies.

The auction runs until April 22.

The wines from the three donors are far from all. There are  11 other Cuvée from the Heart labels created by teams of Ontario winemakers and featured in the Grapes for Humanity Benefit Fine Wine Auction.

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.

7-1 recalls sandwiches

The 7-11 convenience-store chain is recalling sandwiches and wraps because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said.

The recall currently involves sandwiches and wraps distributed to 

the western provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

7-11 triggered the recall, the CFIA said. It has had no reports of illnesses linked to the products under recall.

Business strategy is cycling

 

The days of vertical business integration are returning, according to Al Mussell, senior policy analyst at  Agri-Food Economic Systems.

The economic climate has become uncertain, he writes in his recent report, prompting businesses to bring operations under one roof as a way to reduce uncertainty.

That’s a reversal of recent business strategy which was to concentrate on one aspect of production to do it well and out-source the other aspects which could be purchased for less.

 

“Companies outsource when contracting is relatively easy and inexpensive; companies regularly review, and spurn, unprofitable divisions,” is the way Mussell described that strategy.

 

“Breaking up integrated firms has been seen as unlocking shareholder value. The result has been a decline in the conglomerate agribusiness firm.

“The risk environment that generated our existing approach to firm structure in agribusiness is sharply different from today”, he wrote.

“Owning assets and conducting activities internally is a natural hedge against greater systematic risks.  

"Distributed agri-food supply chains will not come to a screeching halt, but this more volatile operating environment should move us toward more integration of activities within agribusiness firms”.

Maple Leaf Foods is a recent example of the previous business strategy, breaking hog production and slaughter off as Canada Packers and concentrating assets on processing meats into packaged products.

Parrish and Heimbecker is an example of the other approach. It has built out from grain marketing into flour and feed production and egg farming and processing.

CFIA suspends a licence

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended the licence for Vegeat Foods Inc. of Blainville, Que., effectively putting it out of business until it comes into compliance.

The CFIA said it has failed to identify and analyse hazards and to develop and implement a preventive control plan, and failed to provide the inspector with the requested information.

The company makes ready-to-eat plant-based foods.

Meat weight shortage found again

Loblaws and Sobeys, Canada’s largest supermarket chains, have once again been caught by CBC News charging too much for meats.

The issue is including the weight of packaging in prices, a practice that breaks Canadian rules which are supposed to be enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

It seems the CBC reporters are better at detecting weight-related meat pricing errors than the government inspection agency.

After CBC’s shoppers found similar weight issues last year the grocers said they had taken steps to rectify pricing. 

"People are getting ripped off," said Terri Lee, a former inspector with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Lee, who spent 24 years with the federal food regulator before retiring in 2021, estimates mis-weighed meat costs Canadian shoppers millions of dollars a year.

"Obviously, these retail stores are not to be trusted that the weight on the package is accurate," she is quoted by CBC News..

Over the past two months, CBC visited 17 Loblaw-owned or Sobeys-affiliated stores in the Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax areas, targeting packaged fresh meat sold by weight. 

In all, CBC purchased and documented 32 underweight meat products from seven stores: two Safeways and a Thrifty Foods in North Vancouver (owned by Sobeys); two Farm Boys in the Greater Toronto Area (owned by Sobeys' parent company, Empire); and two Real Canadian Superstores in the Halifax area (owned by Loblaw). 

The CFIA is also responsible for inspecting scales at meat-packing plants used in calculating what’s owed to farmers.

Strike at Greeley plant ending

 

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union and JBS USA have a tentative deal to end the strike that began more than two weeks ago.

The facility is the largest beef-packing plant in North America and employs about 3,800 union members.

The two-year agreement increases hourly wages by 70 cents an hour this year and by 40 cents next year.

The company is also paying a signing bonus of $ &750 and another $500 a year from now.

A robot can pick mushrooms

 Stefan Glibetic has developed a robot that can pick mushrooms.

He is chief executive officer of Mycionics Incorporated of Kitchener.

There is keen interest from mushroom farms because picking mushrooms by hand is hard work and staff turnover is a constant issue.

Glibertic’s robots have visual sensors to detect which mushrooms are at the desired stage for harvesting and other sensors to guide gentle pincers to pluck the mushrooms.

Rural wells near Kitchener running dry

 

Rural wells west of Kitchener are running dry as the city is desperate to find more water.

Construction plans are on hold because of the water situation which has caught city politicians by surprise. No building permits for high-rise residential developments are being approved. The two top officials in charge of water quit just before the crisis emerged into the public eye.

Now there are calls for an inquiry and the Waterloo Region staff and politicians are scrambling to fix some facilities that have long needed maintenance and repair work and to find more water sources.

During the uproar, Wilmot Township learned that Kitchener has been taking more water than they knew. The Region has responded by scrapping a commitment to limit how much water it draws from township wells.

Chicken farmer Alan Drost is convinced that the city wells have depleted water he was drawing from his farm well at Petersburg. He has to scramble to truck in water for laying hens and now has installed a large water storage tank.

Clarke Rieck, owner or Lyndon Fish Farm, is worried that his spring-fed lake may run short of water.  He said if that happens, he will need to invest about $4 million in a fix.

His operation is a fish hatchery and recreational fishing for about 7,000 visitors per year.

The farm where I grew up has some of the headwaters for that operation.

A number of non-farming rural residents say they have been experiencing water issues that they suspect are related to the city wells – issues such as lowering water levels in their wells and discoloured water.

The water issue is not new. For at least 50 years there has been talk about building a pipeline either south to Lake Erie or north-west to Lake Huron. Either would make water much more expensive.

When Maple Leaf Foods was looking for a site to build a new meat-packing plant, it looked closely at Kitchener and rejected that option because of the water issue. It built the new plant in Hamilton.

Rural water issues are far from new. A beautiful trout stream on the Stewart Cressman farm south-west of Kitchener dried up when a city well was opened nearby about 60 years ago.

When I was a little gaffer, I fished for trout in that stream.

Cressman, who was chair of the Agriculture Research Institute of Ontario, a director on the Ontario pork marketing board and now is a Wilmot Township farmer, is watching one of his children running a produce business on the farm. It obviously depends on a reliable source for irrigation water.

Food suppliers adding fuel surcharges

Maple Leaf Foods and Tree of Life, a Canadian distributor of United States organic produce, are among the food suppliers and distributors that have already sent fuel-related charges to wholesale distributors and grocery retailers, according to the Globe and Mail.

It has obtained a copy of a letter Maple Leaf sent to its clients and said it got confidential information from a Tree of Life source.

Josh Kuehnbaum, Maple Leaf Foods senior vice-president of sales and customer business development, sent a letter informing customers it is introducing a “temporary fuel surcharge” of 11 cents per kilogram on its prepared meats and poultry shipments.

“This is not a permanent price increase, but rather a temporary adjustment tied directly to fuel cost movements,”. Kuehnbaum‘s letter said.

The surcharge may “move up or down in line with fuel prices,” he wrote.

Olymel’a spokesperson Stéphanie Couturier said it is assessing the situation.

The Globe and Mail said some smaller, independent grocers say they have received multiple fuel-surcharge notices from their suppliers in the past couple of weeks.

Trump’s war sending beef prices higher

 Phil Lempert, the SupermarketGuru, predicts that the war with Iran will add 10 to 15 cents to a pound of ground beef prices in the United States even if it ends by the end of the month.

After that, the impact rises to 25 to 45 cents. If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed or uncertain until August, he estimates ground beef prices will rise by 75 cents to a dollar a pound.

He said the war has increased to cost of fertilizer to grow corn for cattle and diesel prices are up.

“And when we look at meat in particular, that’s brought to our distribution and our supermarkets by refrigerated trucks, which use more diesel than non refrigerated trucks, and then the plastic packaging and everything else,” Lempert told Meatingplace magazine.

Australia was the biggest foreign supplier of beef for hamburger iand it is among the most vulnerable economies to the Hormuz crisis, he said,

 Authorities there, as well as ranchers and other business people, are already warning that they could run out of transportation fuels as early as mid-April.

Two months ago United States President Donald Trump said he would bring beef prices down. Then he relaxed trade restrictions on beef from Argentina, a move that irked American beef farmers and meat packers.

PED in Oxford County

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus has broken out at a farrow-to-finish farm in Oxford County.

Profit guarantee entices corn growers to experiment

 

Farmers for Climate Solutions is enticing corn farmers to try split nitrogen applications, starting with only 30 pounds per acre at planting time and then whatever soil sampling reveals what’s best for the second application early in the growing season.

It was tried on a 12-acre plot in Lambton County last year where Mathew Wagenaar found it works. His iintention was to apply 130 pounds per acre at planting with a second application later.

The guarantee is that the plot following the Farmers for Climate Solutions program will not be less profitable than fields managed as the farmer traditionally does.

The idea is to improve fertilizer efficiency and reduce business risk.

Wagenaar said he worried that if the spring turned out wet he would be unable to apply the second side dressing on time.

Those who sign up this year get up to $500 in agronomist services for project support, including nutrient management recommendations, full reimbursement for the required nitrate test and a $1,000 honorarium for their time.

“Our goal is to assess if a profit warranty can be a helpful new tool to optimize nitrogen use,” said James Cober, strategic initiatives manager for the program 

“What enticed me is the fact that I get to try this without the fear of lost income,” Wagenaar said, adding he was already actively learning about new approaches to split-nitrogen application.

Spoelstras win award

Drew and Heather Spoelstra have been chosen winners of the Ontario Outstanding Young Farmer award.

Drew has been president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture since 2923.

They own Roy–Lea Farms Ltd., in Binbrook Ont. Where they breed purebred Clydesdale horses.They farm 2,000 acres of cash crop and dairy and beef cattle.

Royal Zaatar on recall

Alarjawi brand Royal Zaataris on recall due to salmonella food poisoning.

Royal Zaatar is a premium Middle Eastern herb blend, often featuring wild thyme, toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and salt, sometimes enhanced with pistachio.

It is a versatile seasoning used for dipping oil, seasoning meats, or in savory pastries.

CFIA suspends another Laval business licence

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has suspended the licence held by Dan Gifts Inc.

It said the company failed to identify and analyze hazards, was short of compliance on addressing complaints, recall and traceability procedures.

The company is out of business until it establishes compliance.

Two other Laval establishments had their licences suspended in March.

Ten cheeses on Sobeys recall

 

Sobeys and its sister supermarkets, such as Thrifty’s in British Columbia, are recalling 10 cheeses that the company believes may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes food-poisoning bacteria.

The products were distributed in every province but Quebec.

AgTalk helps farmers

AgTalk, an on-line forum for farmers feeling stressed, is proving effective in addressing mental health crises, according to executive director Merle Massie of the parent operation DoMoreAg.

Farmers can access AgTalk without revealing their identity, and Massie said that has resulted in more frank revelations of how farmers are feeling.

The 2025 annual report showed that 73 per cent of people who joined AgTalk are not engaged in formal mental health support, meaning AgTalk is their only outside support.

“Thirty-eight per cent of them report past thoughts of suicide or self-harm. These people are not feeling well,” she said.

“Eighty per cent reported their mental health as poor or very poor, and 42 per cent said that they shared something on Togetherall that they’ve never shared with anyone else.”

The statistics show people of all ages have joined.

DoMoreAg has additional on-line sites, including one on divorce.

Massis made her comments during a presentation at Canada’s Farm Show in Regina.

Ontario hog production increased

 

 

Ontario hog production increased by seven per cent to 6.2 million market hogs last year, the marketing board reported to its recent annual meeting.

Chair Tara Terpstra said farmers benefitted from a period of good prices and steady demand.

As part of its strategic plans, it will be increasing research into the impact that changes in trade policies could have on hog farmers.

The board directors are Tara and Tanya Terpstra, Karen Sanders, Charlie Illick, Jolanda Vandenbroek, Bruce Hudson, Philip Van Raay, Casssie Van Engelen and TJ Murray.

Listowel ag centre design is ready

 

The Agri-Food Discovery Centre that is to be built in Listowel now has a design ready for a $38-million project of 34,000 square feet.

Current plans include a main discovery centre, an outdoor amphitheatre, an observation tower and a dining pavilion, the community was told at the centre’s recent annual meeting.

There will be demonstration plots, gardens and a rain garden, but no livestock or poultry because of disease risks.

The centre will show the latest farming innovations and, as such, will be designed to educate both farmers and the general public.

Dairy farmer Steve Dolson, chair of the Agri-Food Discovery Centre, said now that they have plans, fundraising will ramp up. A number of companies have already contributed.

a2 shareholders bought off

 

Class action lawsuits filed on behalf of people holding shares in a2 Milk Company have settled out of court for $62 million Australian ($59.9 million Cdn).

The shareholders said a2 issued misleading advice about its financial prospects.

When share prices fell, two different legal firms launched class-action lawsuits on behalf of shareholders.

The two cases were combined and were due to be heard in court beginning June 21.

Farmers slightly optimistic

 

Farmers are slightly more optimistic heading into planting season according to the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer.

It rose 11 points to 127 in March.

The Future Expectations Index rose by 14 points as 62 per cent of those surveyed said they think the United States economy is headed in the right direction.

There was a slight improvement in farmers’ reports of their current conditions. 

The report said producers remain cautious. Only four per cent plan to increase machinery purchases and only 20 per cent expect improved financial performance this year.

Is the key to a bee’s heart through the stomach?

 

The key to queen bees’ hearts may be through their stomachs and a research team at the University is on the case.

About a third of queen bees fail to survive an Ontario winter and it might be because of the microflora in their guts, the researchers led by Brendan Daisley speculate.

Beekeepers import replacement queen bees from countries such as the United States, Chile and Italy and their digestive systems have evolved to suit a different environment, so that may be the reason so many die.

The Canadian Beekeepers Association has noticed and encourages its members to keep as many domestic queen bees as possible.

Now it is supporting the Canadian Bee Gut Project.

As part of the research the team is collecting data about the microbiome profiles of thousands of bees from across Canada.

They are looking into how those gut profiles differ in their support of digestion, immune system regulation and countering harmful bacteria.

They have already found that domestic bees have microbiomes that support those systems and are at least a big part of why their survival rates are better than the imported queen bees..

"We're trying to better understand how the microbiome impacts overwintering success," said Daisley, who is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Guelph.

Canadians import about 300,000 queen bees per year and they build colonies that are a mismatch with Canada's forage, pathogens and seasonal stressors, Daisley told CBC Radio in Kitchener.

"Their genetics have evolved to be most suited to warmer climates so when they come here, their offspring, the worker bees, are not adapted to colder climates and to surviving the winter,” he said,