Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — More than 100 Nobel laureates called on the international environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday to end its opposition to genetically modified crops, saying there is a scientific consensus they are safe and can benefit society. At a news conference, the scientists cited in particular the value of a genetically modified rice […] Read more
Nobel laureates urge Greenpeace to stop opposing GMOs
MP calls for mandatory GMO labels, echoes Vermont regulations
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — A Quebec MP has tabled a new bill calling for mandatory labelling of genetically modified (GM) foods, following steps taken by lawmakers south of the border. Pierre-Luc Dusseault, the New Democrat MP for Sherbrooke, introduced Bill C-291 Tuesday morning, calling for the mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) foods in Canada. Dusseault […] Read more
China’s COFCO Agri hiring grain traders, opening Winnipeg office
Reading Time: < 1 minute Winnipeg | Reuters –– Chinese state-owned agricultural trader COFCO Agri is opening a trading office in the Canadian grain hub of Winnipeg, adding to the aggressive expansion of its North American agriculture business. COFCO Agri is hiring three grain traders and an operations manager to expand export and domestic trading, according to the company’s postings […] Read more
CN promotes CFO as CEO resigns
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canadian National Railway’s (CN) chief financial officer Luc Jobin will become its chief executive on July 1, as incumbent CEO Claude Mongeau steps down for health reasons. Mongeau announced Tuesday he will resign as CN’s CEO at the end of June, after leading the railway company for six and a half years. “I was filled […] Read more
Bimbo to shut Canada Bread’s North Bay plant
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada Bread, the Canadian arm of Mexican baked-goods giant Grupo Bimbo, plans to close its bakery at North Bay, Ont. later this summer. The company announced Wednesday it will begin to gradually wind down operations, transfer the plant’s work to its other bakeries in Quebec and Ontario and shut down the bakery effective Aug. 5. […] Read more
Hedge fund urges organics firm SunOpta to sell itself
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Hedge fund Tourbillon Capital Partners is urging Canadian organic food firm SunOpta Inc. to sell itself to a bigger rival, according to a letter sent to the company on Friday. Mississauga, Ont.-based SunOpta’s share price jumped 26 per cent after the US$4 billion hedge fund asked it to hire an investment bank to […] Read more
Saskatchewan names new deputy ag minister
Reading Time: < 1 minute A promotion for Saskatchewan’s deputy minister of agriculture leads to a promotion for one of the ministry’s assistant deputies. Doug Moen, who’s leaving his post as deputy minister to Premier Brad Wall at the end of June, on Friday announced Rick Burton as the province’s new deputy minister of agriculture, effective July 1. As the […] Read more
New Whole Foods chain 365 faces tough mission
Reading Time: 2 minutes Los Angeles | Reuters — Whole Foods Market’s 365 grocery chain offers lower prices and more technology than the company’s namesake supermarkets, but experts say the fledgling brand must beat its many rivals without hijacking customers from its parent. 365, which debuted on Wednesday with a bright and airy store in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake […] Read more
Window open wider for comment on CGC licensing moves
Reading Time: 2 minutes Facing “requests from stakeholders,” the Canadian Grain Commission has granted them a 12-week extension on its deadline for comments on plans to license feed mills, producer car loading sites and grain agents. The deadline, previously June 3, is now Aug. 31, the commission said in a release Friday. Input is being sought from producer railway […] Read more
Guenther: Seeding in home stretch for dry NW Saskatchewan
Reading Time: 2 minutes Seeding is drawing to a close in northwestern Saskatchewan, largely due to warm, dry weather this month. On average, seeding in the northwest was over half done early in the week, according to the latest Saskatchewan Crop Report. Provincially, farmers are 51 per cent done, putting them miles ahead of the five-year average of 28 […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
