St. John’s chicken packer back in business

Reading Time: < 1 minute Newfoundland chicken processor Country Ribbon Inc. has resumed operations after a brief suspension of its federal operating license. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Friday it had suspended the St. John’s company’s license over what the agency called failure to implement “corrective measures required by regulation” to ensure meat safety. [Related story] The company […] Read more

CME Group to cut staff by five per cent

Reading Time: < 1 minute CME Group, the world’s top derivatives marketplace, has announced plans to cut about 150 jobs, or five per cent of its staff worldwide, mainly from its technology department. The staff cuts come as part of the company’s previously announced restructuring, which included a decision earlier this month to cut its electronic trading hours for CME […] Read more


(BBI Spreaders via YouTube)

Salford buys U.S. spreader manufacturer

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ontario seeding, tillage and application equipment maker Salford Group is taking a share of the spreader market by buying U.S. manufacturer BBI Spreaders. Salford announced last week it had closed a deal effective Oct. 2 to buy the company, based at Cornelia, Georgia, about 70 km north of Athens. Financial terms of the deal weren’t […] Read more

(CountryRibbon.com)

St. John’s chicken plant’s federal license pulled

Reading Time: 2 minutes A St. John’s, N.L. chicken slaughter and processing plant has been handed a suspension over the consistency of its food safety systems. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday it has suspended the operating license for Country Ribbon Inc., which markets fresh and frozen chicken, chicken parts, appetizers and deli meats under the Country Ribbon, […] Read more


(SQ.gouv.qc.ca)

Quebec police bust alleged veg-oil theft ring

Reading Time: < 1 minute Updated — Seven people in Montreal and Laval were arrested Thursday morning and more arrests are expected, linked to what provincial and local police allege has been a major theft ring for used cooking oil. The Surete du Quebec’s Montreal division and the Service de police de Laval said Thursday the seven are alleged to have […] Read more



(Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Manitoba hog farm ‘not truly’ PED-infected

Reading Time: 2 minutes A hog nursery/finisher operation ruled to be Manitoba’s fifth case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is now proven to have been PED-negative all along. The province’s chief veterinary office (CVO) reported Thursday that the site has now been taken off the list of confirmed on-farm cases of PED in Manitoba. The unnamed farm in Manitoba’s […] Read more

Former N.B. fisheries minister now also ag minister

Reading Time: 2 minutes A former New Brunswick fisheries minister is now responsible for agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and three other portfolios as Premier Brian Gallant’s new cabinet takes office. Gallant, whose Liberals defeated David Alward’s Tory government in the province’s Sept. 22 general election, on Tuesday named Rick Doucet as his minister of agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries. Doucet, the […] Read more


FBC earns seven Canadian Farm Writers’ awards

Reading Time: 2 minutes Staff and contributors at Winnipeg ag publishing house Farm Business Communications, operators of this website, have brought home seven national awards for their work from the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation (CFWF). The CFWF, which held its annual conference Oct. 2-5 in Charlottetown, presented a total of 42 awards in 14 categories at its banquet Saturday […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

CTA rejects Canola Growers’ rail service complaint as vague

Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s transportation dispute resolution agency has tossed a complaint over rail service to Prairie grain handlers as too vague and lacking in “supporting facts.” The complaint to the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), filed in May by the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), was dismissed in an agency ruling released last week. The dismissal “is a […] Read more