A larger number of fruit growers on Prince Edward Island may now be eligible for a provincial winery license, CBC reported Thursday. CBC quoted Wayne MacDougall, CEO of the P.E.I. Liquor Control Commission, as saying producers of other fruits, or any other crop such as dandelions that can be used to produce wine, will be […] Read more
P.E.I. relaxes winery rules: CBC
Kickstart funds en route for AgriInvest
The federal/provincial farmer account program AgriInvest is now in place for 2007, meaning $600 million in federal cash to kickstart those accounts will now be delivered. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced Thursday that agreements between Ottawa and the provinces are now in place to implement the new suite of business risk management programs, including […] Read more
Wheat keeps climbing in December PROs
Even tighter world wheat supplies have spurred a jump of $41 to $52 per tonne in the Canadian Wheat Board’s latest pool return outlooks (PROs) for 2007-08. On top of Statistics Canada’s recent report of reduced Canadian wheat supplies, production shortfalls in the U.S, Europe and Australia and export restrictions from Russia and Ukraine come […] Read more
Quebec offers $17.5M for PMWS-affected hog farms
Quebec’s provincial government will offer an ad-hoc aid package of over $17.5 million for hog farmers whose herds were hit by post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). Payment details for the aid package, announced Thursday by Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard, are expected to be finalized in January. La Financiere agricole, the provincial ag lending and funding […] Read more
Ottawa to invest $5M in Bioniche
The Belleville, Ont. maker of a vaccine expected to reduce E. coli bacteria levels in cattle and cow-pies is the first recipient of federal funding under the new AgriOpportunities program. Bioniche Life Sciences will get a repayable contribution of $5 million from Ottawa toward the $25 million first phase of its planned $107 million facility […] Read more
Interest deferral extended on CAIS overpayments
The federal and provincial governments plan to defer collection of interest on CAIS overpayments until Dec. 31, 2008 as part of their support plan for the livestock sector. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced the measure Wednesday as one of a list of alterations to help livestock producers quicker access to cash from various existing government […] Read more
Ont. soybean growers want back at merger table
Three weeks after walking away from merger talks with Ontario’s wheat and corn growers’ groups, members of Ontario Soybean Growers say they’d rather not call off the engagement yet. About 100 soybean growers at the OSG Committee Members’ meeting Wednesday in London, Ont., brought “multiple” resolutions forward from several districts, asking OSG’s board to reconsider […] Read more
Aleutian disease spreads to Nfld. wild mink
Commercial mink farmers in Newfoundland are warned to keep wild mink off their farms now that Aleutian disease has arrived in the wild population. The provincial natural resources department announced Wednesday that eight of 18 wild animals trapped and tested between Marysvale and Holyrood in the Conception Bay area have tested positive for the disease, […] Read more
Quebec boosts crop health enforcement powers
Quebec’s provincial government is moving to grant itself powers to set up “protected crop zones” and inspect, seize or confiscate as needed to enforce them. Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard introduced the new provincial Crop Health Protection Act on Friday, replacing the earlier Plant Protection Act and previous laws on disease prevention in potatoes, as well […] Read more
Food makers’ margins rise, retailers’ fall: review
The Wal-Mart effect has hit Canada’s grocery store industry, pressuring prices in supermarkets even as Canadian food manufacturers’ margins show steady improvement, according to a year-end review by the George Morris Centre. The agricultural industry think-tank, based in Guelph, Ont., on Tuesday posted its year-end review of Canada’s food industry, authored by senior market analyst […] Read more
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