MacAulay pledged up to nearly $$1,175,841 for the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA) over three years via the AgriMarketing program and up to $985,985 over three years to the Prairie Organic Development Fund via the AgriCompetativeness program.
Tag Archives cota

Feds fund organic development groups

Organic operators down, acreage up: new industry stats
Total organic sales in 2022 was $10.26, billion up from $9.35 billion in 2021
The number of Canadian organic producers and processors fell by nearly 300 in 2022 according to the latest industry stats. “There’s people coming in and there’s people going out,” said Tia Loftsgard, executive director of the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA).

Ex-GFO CEO to manage Seeds Canada
Barry Senft to help build up merged seed-industry group
The four Canadian seed industry organizations now operating as Seeds Canada have named their first organizer-in-chief. Barry Senft, whose resume in Canadian agriculture includes stints as CEO for Grain Farmers of Ontario, executive director for the Canadian International Grains Institute, chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission and second vice-president for Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, becomes […] Read more

Feds pledge funds for organic standards review
A review and update of Canada’s organic standards for compliance with international norms will get federal funding to make sure it’s complete by its 2020 deadline. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Friday announced the government will foot the “necessary funds” to the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) to cover the cost of the 2020 Canadian […] Read more

Organic groups call for Ontario regulations
A look at organic regulation across the country by the Canadian Organic Trade Association (COTA) shows a hodge-podge of support, despite national standards in existence for eight years. In a report released Monday, COTA called out Ontario, the largest market by far for organic products, for having no organic regulations. Five other provinces, including some […] Read more

Incentives urged to match organic supply to demand
Canadian governments will need to come up with incentives for farmers going organic if they want domestic supply to keep up with domestic demand, a national organic sector group warns. The Canada Organic Trade Association on Wednesday released data showing 5,053 certified organic operations in Canada, accounting for 2.43 million acres of land, at the […] Read more