(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan’s canola estimates taken with grain of salt

CNS Canada — Statistics Canada’s latest crop production estimates are in and while they may raise a few eyebrows, the numbers aren’t likely to cause havoc in the markets, according to most trade analysts. StatsCan on Tuesday pegged canola production in 2016-17 at 17 million tonnes. That compares to pre-report ideas of 15.9 to 20 […] Read more


(Kelloggs.ca)

Kellogg’s sales miss analysts’ estimates

Reuters — Kellogg Co.’s quarterly sales dropped 6.6 per cent, missing analysts’ estimates, as demand slid further for its breakfast foods and snacks, which include Corn Flakes and Froot Loops. Kellogg also said a strong dollar was expected to hurt sales this year more than it had anticipated, mainly due to a sharp fall in […] Read more

Saskatchewan crops battle through moisture

Commodity News Service Canada – Saskatchewan crops are in generally good condition despite recent wet and windy weather, says the Saskatchewan government. In a release, the province said sixty-two per cent of the spring wheat, winter wheat, flax and canola was in good condition as of July 25. Lentils are rated as 15 per cent excellent, […] Read more

OSGATA president Jim Gerritsen says OTA’s support for a planned U.S. GM label law shows the group “can no longer be trusted.” (OSGATA.org)

Organic seed growers split with OTA over U.S. label plan

A U.S. organic seed grower organization best known for its court case against Monsanto has parted ways with one of North America’s biggest organic sector bodies over a proposed nationwide GMO label law in the U.S. The Maine-based growers’ group, the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA), announced Thursday its board has voted to […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Flax growers scout soggy fields as prices edge upward

CNS Canada — Producers are assessing the effects of weekend rains that soaked flax crops in Western Canada, while prices have ticked up slightly as data reflects shrinking acres. Flax fields in western Manitoba saw thunderstorms and powerful winds, which knocked out power in some areas of the province during the weekend. Parts of southeastern […] Read more

(EC.europa.eu)

Canada/EU trade pact seen possible despite headwinds

Canada still has a good shot at ratifying its trade deal with the European Union, despite turmoil within the EU, according to Canadian government officials. The United Kingdom’s recent referendum vote to leave the EU doesn’t legally change the ratification of the Canada/EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) in any way, a federal official said […] Read more

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker — shown here at right with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last November — has taken the EU’s free trade pact with Canada off the fast track by allowing each EU member nation’s parliament to ratify the deal. (PM.gc.ca)

EU bows to pressure, gives member parliaments say in Canada trade deal

Brussels | Reuters –– The European Commission bowed to pressure to give Europe’s parliaments the right to ratify a landmark free-trade deal with Canada, a decision meant to address public concerns but which could wreck Europe’s broader trade strategy. In the face of popular suspicion about secretive trade deals benefiting big companies, Commission President Jean-Claude […] Read more


Nobel Prizes, funded through the last will of Swedish chemist and inventor Alfred Nobel, have been issued since 1901 to honour outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, and literature, and for work in peace. (Pi Frisk photo copyright Nobel Media AB, 2015)

Nobel laureates urge Greenpeace to stop opposing GMOs

Washington | Reuters — More than 100 Nobel laureates called on the international environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday to end its opposition to genetically modified crops, saying there is a scientific consensus they are safe and can benefit society. At a news conference, the scientists cited in particular the value of a genetically modified rice […] Read more

Campbell, which recently rolled out several Star Wars-themed products such as these Darth Vader-shaped SpaghettiOs, plans to label all its U.S. products for presence of GMO ingredients. (Campbells.com)

MP calls for mandatory GMO labels, echoes Vermont regulations

CNS Canada — A Quebec MP has tabled a new bill calling for mandatory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods, following steps taken by lawmakers south of the border. Pierre-Luc Dusseault, the New Democrat MP for Sherbrooke, introduced Bill C-291 Tuesday morning, calling for the mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) foods in Canada. Dusseault […] Read more