Washington | Reuters — Talks this week to update the North American Free Trade Agreement made some progress on less-controversial chapters and technical language, but did little to resolve deep differences on autos, dispute settlement and a five-year sunset clause, some participants said on Friday. The “intersessional” round in Washington, which did not include trade […] Read more
NAFTA Washington talks said to leave major differences untouched
Zimbabwe orders illegal settlers to vacate farms
Harare | Reuters — Zimbabwe’s new agriculture minister on Wednesday ordered illegal occupiers of farms to vacate the land immediately, a move that could ultimately see some white farmers who say they were unfairly evicted return to farming. Perrance Shiri, a military hardliner who was head of the air force before being picked for the […] Read more
Canadian fast-food, dining firms plan merger
A restaurant firm with well known brands in Eastern Canada’s casual dining market is set to merge into a neighbouring firm behind the franchises populating many of Canada’s mall food courts. Montreal-based MTY Food Group announced Tuesday it has a cash-and-stock agreement in place to pick up all outstanding common shares of another Montreal firm, […] Read more
Maple Leaf buys further into ‘meat’ market
One of Canada’s biggest packaged meat companies is further expanding its space on the non-animal protein shelf with a deal for U.S. processor Field Roast Grain Meat. Maple Leaf Foods announced Nov. 30 it will pay US$120 million (C$153.9 million) for the Seattle-based company, which makes and markets premium grain-based “meat” and vegan cheese products. […] Read more
Saskatchewan to offer discount option on Crown land
Facing another rent hike in 2018, some Saskatchewan farmers leasing cultivated and “formerly cultivated” Crown land from the province are getting an option to buy the land instead at a 10 per cent discount. Provincial Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart on Tuesday announced a “targeted incentive” program aimed at about 1,100 eligible leaseholders, offering the 10 […] Read more
Nestle to buy Canadian nutrition firm Atrium
London | Reuters — Nestle is buying Canadian vitamin and nutritional supplement maker Atrium Innovations for US$2.3 billion, expanding its presence in consumer healthcare as it seeks to offset weakness in packaged foods. The world’s largest packaged food company said on Tuesday it will buy the maker of vitamins, probiotics and meal replacements from a […] Read more
Ontario general farm organization fee increasing
Ontario farmers will be paying more for their representation by their general farm organizations in 2018 after the government approved a $30 increase. The annual fee will be $225 plus HST for membership in the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario or National Farmers Union-Ontario. All registered farmers have to pay the […] Read more
Farmers seen harder hit by opioid crisis than rest of rural U.S.
Chicago | Reuters — The opioid crisis in the United States is impacting farm and ranch families more acutely than their rural neighbours, according to a survey published by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and the U.S. National Farmers Union on Thursday. About three-quarters of farmers and ranchers surveyed said a family member, someone […] Read more
Federal programs set for Growing Forward sequel
Market development, product development and overall sector development are among the priorities in the federal government’s five-year funding plan for the ag sector. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, speaking Friday at Canadian Western Agribition in Regina, announced a $1 billion suite of six federally funded programs to roll out through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Canadian […] Read more
OFA pre-election policy targets broader economic development
Stable rural areas and thriving farms can help urbanites with some of their biggest challenges. That’s the message from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture going into next year’s provincial election. The OFA talked about how it is framing its election strategy at its annual meeting, which ran Monday and Tuesday in Toronto. “With the election […] Read more
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