Livestock

A piece of legislation that would provide farmers with carbon tax relief is in front of Canadian senators. Bill C-234, which exempts on-farm fuels like propane and natural gas used in grain drying and barn heating from the federal carbon tax, had its first reading in the senate on March 30th and the second reading […]

Maple Leaf Foods reported a loss in its first quarter compared with a profit a year ago as it faced a difficult pork market, cost inflation and higher startup expenses. The company says it lost 57.7 million dollars, or 48 cents per share for the quarter ended March 31st, compared with a profit of 13.7 million […]

A Chinese ban on Canadian beef that industry officials expected would be short-lived remains in place seventeen months later. Dennis Laycraft of the Canadian Cattle Association says he doesn’t know why China continues to block imports from Canadian beef processing plants. China imposed restrictions on Canadian beef after a case of atypical B-S-E was found […]

Saskatchewan cattle producers are keeping a close eye on the wildfire situation in the province, as well as to what’s happening in Alberta. CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association Grant McLellan says they will be prepared should the situation take a turn for the worst. Right now he is cautiously optimistic about the current situation […]

Officials from several federal agencies are reassuring the public about Canada’s animal biosecurity preparedness. Witnesses from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the Canada Border Services Agency spoke to MPs’ concerns about livestock diseases at a committee meeting last week.  Biosecurity preparedness has been a relevant issue recently, with rising concerns over African swine […]

Indonesia has reported an outbreak of African swine fever on a farm near Singapore. The outbreak that killed 35,297 pigs in a herd of 285,034 on a farm located on Bulan island was detected on April 1st and confirmed on April 28th. African swine fever is not dangerous to humans but is fatal for pigs. It […]

A Canadian ag organization is pleased Ottawa has secured full access to a trade market. Canadian Cattle Association executive vice president Dennis Laycraft says having access to global markets is critical to a thriving Canadian beef industry. His comments come after Canada regained full access to Guatemala after 10 years of negotiations. Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude […]

Cattle producers in Alberta are either re-locating their herd to a safe place or are preparing to do so, as wildfires continue to burn in parts of that province. Chair of the Alberta Beef Producers Brodie Haugan says producers are keeping each other up-to-date through social media and other means of communication. He says while […]

One of the biggest U.S. meatpackers is creating an internal company to clean some of its processing plants, after a private sanitation firm JBS USA employed, was accused of hiring children for dangerous work. The launch shows the complexities involved in replacing Packers Sanitation Services, a firm that contracts to clean slaughterhouses.  In February, the U.S. government says Packers […]

A Farm Credit Canada incentive program is now accepting applications. FCC’s Director of Sustainability Programs Curtis Grainger says the Sustainability Incentive Program, in partnership with the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) and McCain Foods, is open to eligible producers. Grainger explains there are two requirements to meet in order to participate: one is to […]