Reading Time: 2 minutes All the birds on a commercial duck farm in southern Ontario’s Niagara region are about to be euthanized after some were confirmed with a less severe form of avian flu. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Thursday said the strain of avian influenza found in the birds on the farm is a low-pathogenic (“low-path”) […] Read more
Ontario duck farm catches low-path avian flu
EU bows to pressure, gives member parliaments say in Canada trade deal
Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters –– The European Commission bowed to pressure to give Europe’s parliaments the right to ratify a landmark free-trade deal with Canada, a decision meant to address public concerns but which could wreck Europe’s broader trade strategy. In the face of popular suspicion about secretive trade deals benefiting big companies, Commission President Jean-Claude […] Read more
Postal workers pledge to move bees, chicks if striking
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada Post and its unionized staff have agreed to set up a system in which workers would volunteer to move live animals, such as day-old chicks or bees, during a strike or lockout. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said Tuesday it has a new agreement with the Crown corporation to move and deliver social […] Read more
Young farmers getting a head start
Among supply management’s successes are its programs to help young farmers get established
Reading Time: 10 minutes “We’ve got a lot of young people coming in,” says Tim Lambert, CEO of the Egg Farmers of Canada. Like others, he credits board programs that give young farmers preferential access not only to quota, but to training in business leadership, and management. Yet underpinning it all, says Lambert, is income security. “They earn a […] Read more
Olymel to expand Quebec, Ontario poultry plants
Reading Time: < 1 minute La Coop federee’s meat processing arm Olymel plans “major investment” to boost production capacity two of its poultry plants in Eastern Canada. The company on Tuesday said it would put up $10 million to install an air chilling room at its primary chicken processing plant at St-Damase, just south of St-Hyacinthe in Quebec’s Monteregie. The […] Read more
U.S. kills 39,000 turkeys in low-path bird flu outbreak
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. authorities destroyed 39,000 turkeys in Missouri due to an outbreak of a mild form of avian flu, the World Organization for Animal Health said on Tuesday, as officials remained on alert for new cases. State authorities also have begun a quarantine and taken surveillance measures around the farm in Jasper […] Read more
Poultry at risk for avian flu during migration
Reading Time: < 1 minute Cases of avian flu in commercial poultry in the U.S. and Mexico earlier this year are believed to have come from wild birds, which are now migrating north for the season, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency warned Friday. Avian influenza spreads when wild birds come into contact with commercial/small flocks, the agency said, urging producers […] Read more
Costco plans chicken plant in Nebraska
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Costco Wholesale Corp. is considering building a poultry-processing plant in Nebraska, according to a local development council, a move that would give the retailer tighter control over its chicken supplies. The facility, if built in Nebraska’s Dodge County, would create 1,100 jobs, work with local chicken farmers and invest $180 million in the […] Read more
Wal-Mart plans for cage-free U.S. egg supply by 2025
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Wal-Mart Stores said it was aiming to switch to a cage-free egg supply chain in the U.S. by 2025, joining a host of companies that have committed to stop using eggs laid by caged hens. The biggest food retailer in the U.S. said Tuesday it would mandate its egg suppliers to be certified […] Read more
Cara to buy St-Hubert restaurant, food businesses
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — Cara Operations, owner of the Swiss Chalet casual dining chain and Harvey’s burger outlets, said Thursday it will buy St-Hubert BBQ, one of Quebec’s largest casual dining chains, for $537 million to gain a foothold in the province. The deal, expected to close this summer pending regulatory approvals, was cheered by analysts and investors. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
