Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa | Reuters — Global ransomware attacks increased by 151 per cent in the first half of 2021 compared with 2020 and hackers are set to become increasingly aggressive, Canada’s signals intelligence agency said on Monday. The Communications Security Establishment (CSE), citing attacks on North American health facilities and a U.S. pipeline, said the scale […] Read more
Spy agency sees ransomware attacks soaring
Aggressive hacking expected to increase
India’s Modi backs down on farm reforms in surprise win for protesters
Laws to be repealed in upcoming parliament session; protests to continue until then
Reading Time: 4 minutes Ghaziabad, India | Reuters — In a surprise announcement Friday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would repeal agriculture laws that farmers have been protesting against for more than a year, sparking celebrations for what farmers called a hard-fought victory. Modi’s decision is a significant climb-down for the combative leader and comes as state […] Read more
Alberta looks for feed, Ottawa promises cash for B.C.
Alberta to help with veterinary testing after B.C.'s lab flooded, Alberta ag minister says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Even though supplies are low because of drought, Alberta is looking for feed to send to B.C. livestock producers, while Ottawa will provide emergency financial assistance to farmers dealing with flooding and closed roads in the hard-hit province. “We’ve been working with the B.C. department of agriculture,” Alberta Agriculture Minister Nate Horner said during a […] Read more
APEC ministers call for curbs on farm, fuel, fishing subsidies
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington/Wellington | Reuters — Pacific Rim trade and foreign ministers on Tuesday pledged to sustain the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic while pursuing talks to curb subsidies for fisheries and agriculture at a forthcoming World Trade Organization meeting. The ministers from the 21 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries said in a communique issued after […] Read more
Conservatives’ Barlow to return as federal ag critic
NDP, Bloc incumbent critics to return
Reading Time: 3 minutes A former agriculture critic for the federal opposition Conservatives will again handle the file when the House of Commons resumes sitting in two weeks. Conservative leader Erin O’Toole on Tuesday named John Barlow, MP for the southwestern Alberta riding of Foothills, as shadow minister for agriculture, agri-food and food security. As ag critic, Barlow replaces […] Read more
Regulations on gene-edited crops to be eased in England
Reading Time: < 1 minute London | Reuters — Britain’s farming and environment minister George Eustice announced Wednesday that regulations related to gene editing in agricultural research would be eased in England following a public consultation. Rules will now largely be aligned with conventional breeding methods for research and development into plants although scientists will still be required to notify […] Read more
U.N. looks for recipe to tackle global food dysfunction
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Billions of people are overweight, millions are hungry, one third of food is wasted and the way the world produces, processes and consumes food generates one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said on Thursday at the first global summit on the future of food. The aim of the summit is […] Read more
Federal agriculture minister leading on election night
CPC, NDP ag critics prevail; BQ critic in tight race
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s incumbent agriculture minister was among the MPs expected to hold onto their seats in Monday’s snap federal election, in which Justin Trudeau’s Liberals return with a second minority government. As of Tuesday morning just after midnight CT, Marie-Claude Bibeau was leading in her Sherbrooke, Que.-area riding of Compton-Stanstead by a spread of over 3,300 […] Read more
Federal support for farmers focus of ag leaders’ debate
AgriStability, carbon levy exemptions, supply management among topics
Reading Time: 4 minutes An agricultural debate ahead of the federal election gave representatives from political parties an opportunity to pitch their ideas to producers, resulting in debate over how best to support farmers. Thursday evening’s debate, hosted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, had plenty of discussion about climate change and how best to support producers in a […] Read more
The rise of the new food engineers
Guide Books Review: The biggest threat to your farm isn’t commodity prices or interest rates. It’s science, and what’s going on in these labs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Rethinking Food and Agriculture 2020-2030: The Second Domestication of Plants and Animals, the Disruption of the Cow, and the Collapse of Industrial Livestock FarmingBy Catherine Tubb and Tony Seba How will agriculture, society and the environment be impacted by the onset of intense and broad disruption? It’s way more than COVID-19. Take a big breath […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
