Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaks at Cigi in Winnipeg on March 13, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Future of ag policy remains unclear ahead of election

Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa – If polls and pundits are to be believed, Monday’s federal election will result in a minority government — meaning no single party would alone be dictating the immediate future of agricultural policy in Canada. While the true results won’t be known until Monday night, most pollsters are speculating either a Conservative or Liberal-led […] Read more

(JBSsa.com)

U.S. senators seek probe of JBS

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brasilia | Reuters — Two U.S. senators called on the U.S. Treasury on Tuesday to open an investigation into the world’s largest meat processing company, Brazil’s JBS S.A. , due to alleged ties with the Venezuelan government of leftist President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump’s government has imposed sanctions on dozens of top Venezuelan officials […] Read more


File photo of wheat storage for a flour mill at Yokohama, Japan. (Joel-t/iStock/Getty Images)

Japan trade deal aims to put U.S. farmers on par with TPP

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The new U.S.-Japan trade deal will provide staged reduction of Japanese tariffs for more than US$2 billion worth of U.S. beef and pork, matching access now granted to the 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact countries, a text of the agreement shows. U.S. President Donald Trump presided over a White House signing […] Read more

(UCCS.ucdavis.edu)

U.S. meat industry sues California for animal protection ‘overreach’

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — California was sued on Friday by the largest U.S. trade group for meat packers and processors, which wants to block enforcement of a voter-approved measure requiring farmers to provide more space for animals being raised for food. The North American Meat Institute, whose members include processors such as Tyson Foods and retailers including […] Read more


Alberta Premier Jason Kenney steps up to speak at Jumbo Valley Hutterite Colony on Oct. 3, 2019. (Video screengrab from Alberta.ca via YouTube)

Alberta proposes heavier penalties for on-farm trespassing

Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s government proposes to discourage future on-farm protests — events in the style of an occupation held early last month at an Alberta Hutterite colony’s turkey farm — on pain of new penalties. Speaking Thursday at the Jumbo Valley colony near Fort Macleod, Premier Jason Kenney, Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer and Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Cargill’s quarterly profit up on beef, egg demand

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Global commodities trader Cargill reported a three per cent increase in adjusted quarterly profit on Thursday, citing strong consumer demand for meat and eggs in North America and growth in its animal nutrition businesses. Cargill, the largest privately held U.S. company, said its adjusted operating earnings rose to $908 million in […] Read more


(PaulCowan/iStock/Getty Images)

Worst-case no-deal Brexit plan warns of food shortages

Reading Time: < 1 minute London | Reuters — The British government’s plans for a no-deal Brexit warn of severe disruption to cross-Channel routes, affecting the supply of medicines and certain types of fresh foods, and say that protests and counter-protests will take place across the country, accompanied by a possible rise in public disorder. The “Operation Yellowhammer” worst-case assumptions […] Read more

KFC is test-marketing plant-based nuggets and wings at one of its U.S. outlets in Altanta. (Global.kfc.com)

KFC to test plant-based nuggets, wings

Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters –– Yum Brands said on Monday it will be testing plant-based nuggets and boneless wings at an Atlanta KFC restaurant, the latest fast-food chain trying new options to attract vegan diners. The quick-service fried chicken restaurant will nationally roll out the vegan menu items, produced by U.S. processor Beyond Meat, based on the customer […] Read more



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Sausage-loving Germans chew over meat tax plan

Reading Time: 2 minutes Berlin | Reuters — German lawmakers on Wednesday proposed raising the sales tax on meat to help protect the climate and improve animal welfare, kindling a debate in a country renowned for its love of sausages. Meat in Germany benefits from a reduced value added tax rate of seven per cent, and the idea is […] Read more