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Organic sector tables petition in Parliament

Groups call for recognition, incentives; supportive policy and programming

A petition calling for greater federal support of the organic sector was presented in Parliament this Tuesday. “The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to give Canadians better and more affordable access to the foods they want by establishing bold policies and programs that would encourage growth in the domestic supply of organic,” said B.C. MP Alistair MacGregor, who tabled the petition.


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Organic group send petition to federal government

Feds asked to establish policies and programs to help organic producers meet consumer demand, create sustainable food systems

The petition says that Canadian consumers are driving strong demand for organic food, and asks the federal government to establish policies and programs to “encourage growth in the domestic supply of organic to meet the market opportunity,” and to “meaningfully recognize and incentivize sustainable resilient food systems, such as organic, across all departments that relate to Canadian food policy.”

A “little potato” crop at six to nine tons an acre in central Alberta does not need the same extra moisture as seed potatoes and can be planted directly into standing canola stubble in the spring.

‘Sustainable’ ag systems for Prairie croplands need clearer definition

The word “sustainable” has become one of the most misused words in agricultural information systems. What we have to realize on Canada’s Prairies is that “sustainable” really means farmers maintain the status quo for good, achievable, economic agricultural practices on their cropland. What may be sustainable agricultural systems for Eastern Canada or the north-central United […] Read more



File photo of a CFIA vehicle. (Dave Bedard photo)

Gene-edited crops clear CFIA’s regulatory bar

Agency guidance puts gene editing on level of conventional breeding

Plants gene-edited for efficient use of water or nutrients or to better withstand pests or drought now won’t have to clear the same regulatory hurdles in Canada as any crops that are modified for herbicide tolerance or include foreign genes. Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday announced updated guidance from the Canadian Food Inspection […] Read more


What is sustainable agriculture?

What is sustainable agriculture?

Prairie farmers have adopted some of the most sustainable practices among agricultural producers in the world

No, sustainable agriculture is not organic farming, wildlife management, having a mixed livestock and grain system or anything else. It is efficient, effective, common sense crop production. In recent years, Prairie farmers have adopted some of the most sustainable practices among agricultural producers in the world. Contrary to the naysayers who rant about the destruction […] Read more

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Hepatitis A outbreak linked to organic strawberries

Cases reported in two provinces, three states

Washington | Reuters –– Food safety regulators in both Canada and the U.S. are investigating a hepatitis A outbreak potentially linked to tainted organic strawberries that has sickened 17 people in the U.S. and 10 in Canada, the agencies said. Fifteen illnesses were reported in California, and one each in Minnesota and North Dakota, the […] Read more


A 2018 aerial view of Pipeline Foods’ grain elevator at Gull Lake in southwestern Saskatchewan. (Pipeline Foods video screengrab via YouTube)

Bankrupt organic firm’s Prairie growers to be paid

CGC to issue compensation

Over four dozen Prairie grain growers who supplied a Minneapolis firm specializing in organic and non-GMO grains will get paid in full, the Canadian Grain Commission says. The CGC on Tuesday announced the results of its review of producer claims in the wake of last July’s bankruptcy filing by Pipeline Foods, whose footprint in Canada […] Read more

File photo of a dairy operation in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. (Modfos/iStock/Getty Images)

Some B.C. milk runs resume as roads reopen

Sumas Prairie remains under boil water advisory

Milk pickups are resuming for some southern British Columbia dairy farmers, days after flooding and landslides caused by a days-long rainstorm cut off vehicle traffic through the region. In the wake of the Nov. 14-16 storm, with trucks unable to reach farms, the B.C. Milk Marketing Board on Nov. 16 asked that affected dairy farmers […] Read more