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Tag Archives competition bureau — page 2

File photo of the produce section at a Canadian grocery store. (FatCamera/E+/Getty Images)
Markets

Competition Bureau to probe soaring food prices

Retail food prices seen outpacing inflation

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Reuters — Canada’s competition watchdog said on Monday it would examine factors impacting soaring food prices and whether more competition in the grocery stores sector could help lower costs for Canadians. Price rises for store-bought food have been outpacing the broader annual inflation rate for 10 consecutive months, and grew 11.4 per cent in September, […] Read more
Charles Baron and partners brought FBN to Canada in 2017, buying Saskatchewan-based Yorkton Distributors. (FBN video screengrab via YouTube)
Crops, Markets

Antitrust probe in ag inputs dropped

Communications over FBN still 'concerning,' Competition Bureau says

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Allegations suggesting ag chem sector players tried to derail an online farm-supply firm’s business in Western Canada haven’t turned up enough evidence for federal regulators to probe the matter further. Canada’s Competition Bureau announced Tuesday it’s now closed an investigation it launched in 2019 over allegations brought forward by the Canadian arm of Farmers Business […] Read more
The Blair’s agro centre at Lipton, Sask. (Blairs.ag)
Crops

Buyer found for ag retailer Blair’s contested outlet

ProSoils to buy Blair's location at Lipton, Sask.

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Crop input retail chain Blair’s Crop Solutions has a deal in place to sell one of its eastern Saskatchewan sites to meet its obligation to federal regulators. The chain, a joint venture between Federated Co-operatives and the Blair’s Family of Companies, announced Monday it will sell its site at Lipton, Sask., about 80 km west […] Read more
The Blair’s agro centre at Lipton, Sask. (Blairs.ag)
Crops

Co-op, Blair’s joint venture to sell one crop input centre

Regulator sees overlap between Co-op, Blair's at Lipton

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A new joint venture formed to run seven existing crop input retail centres in central and southeastern Saskatchewan will settle for six. The federal Competition Bureau on Wednesday announced an agreement with Federated Co-operatives (FCL) and the ag retail arm of the Saskatchewan-based Blair’s Family of Companies toward approval of their proposed joint venture. Blair’s […] Read more
Chicks atop images from a genetic map of a chicken. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)
Livestock

Elanco forgoes Canadian poultry insecticide rights for Bayer deal

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Reuters — Elanco Animal Health has decided against acquiring Bayer’s Canadian distribution rights to several poultry insecticides, Canada’s Competition Bureau said on Tuesday, as it looks to complete a $7.6-billion deal. The U.S.-based company will also divest its canine ear infection treatment product Osurnia and Bayer’s feline dewormer Profender to address competition concerns about its […] Read more
Charles Baron and partners brought FBN to Canada in 2017, buying Saskatchewan-based Yorkton Distributors. (FBN video screengrab via YouTube)
Crops

Court orders big ag firms to hand over documents in antitrust probe

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Ottawa | Reuters — A Canadian federal court has ordered a group of major agriculture companies to hand over records and communications in an antitrust probe sparked by allegations some businesses tried to block online farm-supply startup Farmers Business Network (FBN). In a series of court orders issued Tuesday, Federal Court Justice Denis Gascon said […] Read more
Crops

Probe eyes possibility of ‘co-ordinated behaviour’ in Big Ag

Competition Bureau probes majors' response to FBN's Canadian launch

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Canada’s Competition Bureau is investigating leading agriculture companies for allegedly attempting to drive a California-based online farm-supply retailer out of the Canadian market. Documents filed in Federal Court show Federated Co-operatives, Cargill, Winfield United Canada, Univar Canada, BASF Canada Inc., Corteva and Bayer CropScience (and, by extension, Monsanto Canada) are all under investigation. Investigators with […] Read more
Charles Baron and partners brought FBN to Canada in 2018 when it bought Saskatchewan-based Yorkton Distributors. (FBN video screengrab via YouTube)
Crops

Competition Bureau probing big ag chem companies

Probe to look at firms' response to FBN's arrival in Canada

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Reuters — The Canadian Competition Bureau said on Thursday it was investigating certain agriculture companies for alleged anticompetitive practices over allegations of trying to block an online farm-supply startup from doing business in Western Canada. The regulator did not provide details on specific companies involved in the probe, but documents filed on Jan. 30 in […] Read more
(FITTrials.com)
Crops

P+H to challenge regulators’ request for elevator sale

Case to be heard sometime at later end of fall

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Grain firm Parrish and Heimbecker aims to keep its now-expanded Prairie elevator network intact against a proposed order from federal antitrust regulators. Winnipeg-based, privately-held P+H in September announced a deal to buy all 10 of the primary Prairie grain elevators built by agrifood giant Louis Dreyfus Co. between 1998 and 2003. The two companies have […] Read more
F. Menard’s retail butcher shop at Ange-Gardien underwent a major renovation in July 2018. (FMenard.com)
Livestock

F. Menard’s pork industry assets cleared for sale

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Antitrust regulators have cleared the path for La Coop federee to take up a significantly larger, vertically integrated share of its home province’s pork packing, feed milling and hog production sectors. The agribusiness co-operative announced Thursday its Olymel and Sollio Agriculture arms have “received the green light” from the federal Competition Bureau to buy the […] Read more

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