(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Foreign worker break for seafood sector a ‘one-time’ deal

Winnipeg | Reuters –– Canada’s move to loosen restrictions on hiring foreign workers for East Coast seafood plants was a one-time decision, and the government is not convinced other sectors need similar measures, the country’s employment minister said Thursday. The Liberal government eased restrictions under its foreign worker program recently for Atlantic seafood processors, allowing […] Read more


A+W, which sources eggs from this production facility, said it plans to source its eggs from hens in open-barn housing and raised without use of antibiotics. (CNW Group/A+W Restaurants)

A+W ups ante on layer hen housing

Having already pledged to source eggs from hens in enriched housing and raised without use of antibiotics, burger chain A+W now plans to get all its eggs from hens in open housing. The Vancouver-based income fund said Wednesday that despite having “no open-barn housing options available” today that meet its antibiotic-free requirement, it plans to […] Read more



(MinaHalal.com)

Federal rules arrive on halal food claims

Any food marketed in Canada as certified halal in its labeling or ads will have to include the name of its halal certifying body, starting next month. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Wednesday the two-year grace period it launched in 2014 for halal labelling and advertising requirements will end April 4. Past that […] Read more



Input costs to chip away at farmers’ shrinking income

CNS Canada — An anticipated downturn in farm income and higher input costs mean Canadian producers will be in a tough financial position this year, the head of the National Farmers Union (NFU) predicts. Farmers’ net cash income is expected to move lower in 2016, declining nine per cent to $13.6 billion in 2016, according […] Read more