Reuters – China will resume imports of Canadian beef and pork, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday, some four months after Beijing blocked shipments amid an escalating diplomatic feud between the two countries. “Good news for Canadian farmers today: Canadian pork and beef exports to China will resume,” Trudeau tweeted. The Chinese embassy in […] Read more
China to resume imports of Canadian beef and pork
New EU import curbs on fruit not Canada-specific
Ottawa | Reuters — New European Union rules that could block shipments of Canadian cherries and other fruits to the 28-nation grouping apply to all countries and “was not unusual,” a senior Canadian official said on Friday. The clarification from federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau came a day after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) […] Read more
EU set to halt imports of Canadian cherries, other fruits
Ottawa | Reuters — The European Union will halt imports of Canadian cherries and other fresh fruits starting Sept. 1 as it enforces new import requirements related to pests, according to a Canadian government document sent to industry on Thursday. In the notice, which was seen by Reuters, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the […] Read more
Canadian greenhouse labor shortages worsened by growing cannabis producers
Ottawa | Reuters – Canada’s labor-strapped greenhouse vegetable and flower growers are ramping up efforts to keep and recruit more workers in the face of pressure from the country’s budding cannabis industry, farm groups say. “Many of the cannabis producers are very cash rich. They’ve got the resources to pay a very good wage,” said […] Read more
Canada says bogus certificates being used to smuggle meat into China
Ottawa | Reuters — Unknown actors are using bogus certificates to smuggle Canadian meat into China, Trade Minister Jim Carr said on Wednesday, a day after Beijing halted beef and pork imports citing falsified paperwork. China, which has already blocked imports of Canadian canola seed and product from three pork plants, said on Tuesday it […] Read more
China halts Canadian meat shipments over bogus documents
Ottawa | Reuters — China said Tuesday it will turn away all meat shipped from Canada, just days before China and the United States sit down to work on settling a trade dispute that has also caught Canada in the crossfire. China launched an investigation after inspections found residues of ractopamine, a feed additive not […] Read more
China, drought, debt shake Canadian farm finances
Winnipeg/Ottawa | Reuters — For years, the financial stability of Canadian farmers was the envy of their U.S. counterparts, but rising costs, drought and a dispute with China have weakened their bottom lines. Net incomes plunged last year, and that setback was followed in March by China’s halting purchases of canola, Canada’s biggest crop. Now […] Read more
Ottawa expands insurance for canola exporters amid China dispute
Ottawa/Winnipeg | Reuters — Ottawa increased the insurance coverage available for canola exporters, a government corporation said on Thursday, as it seeks to reduce trade risks amid a dispute with China. China halted purchases of Canadian canola in March, citing pests in shipments by Richardson International and Viterra. That move, which came as Beijing has […] Read more
Canada frets about potential Chinese crackdown on more exports
Ottawa | Reuters — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday he was concerned that China could broaden its crackdown on Canada’s exports, and that he might seek a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. China has already blocked imports of Canadian canola seed and looks set to boost customs examinations […] Read more
Ottawa columnist bids goodbye to full time agriculture reporting
Capital Letters with Kelsey Johnson of iPolitics
They say all good things must come to an end. Sadly, this column is one of them. After more than six years with iPolitics and five years contributing to Glacier FarmMedia publications like Western Producer and now Farmtario, I have moved to a new gig with Thomson Reuters in Ottawa as an economics reporter as […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
