Reading Time: 3 minutes Some sections of Ontario’s so-called ag gag law have been struck down by the province’s Superior Court. The court ruled April 2 that certain provisions within the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act 2020 violate the right of freedom of expression under the Charter of Rights, declaring them to have no force or effect.
Ontario court strikes down portions of ‘ag-gag’ anti-trespass law
Decision a "decisive victory," animal rights proponents say
Ag minister talks Proposition 12, VCOOL with the U.S.’s Vilsack
The trip marks MacAulay's first ministerial visit to the U.S. since regaining the role
Reading Time: 2 minutes Proposition 12 and voluntary country of origin labelling (VCOOL) were among topics raised during federal Ag Minister Lawrence MacAulay's first ministerial trip to to the U.S. after being appointed to the portfolio late last year.
Anti-activist bill back before Commons committee
Bill adds protections for biosecurity, farmers' mental health, Barlow says
Reading Time: 3 minutes A bill to create harsher penalties for unlawful entry onto farms and biosecure zones is back before the House of Commons after a previous iteration died on the order table in 2021. Conservative MP John Barlow brought forward Bill C-275, “an Act to amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms),” as a private […] Read more
‘Shocking’ farm videos barred at egg-price antitrust trial in Chicago
Food firms sought to show animal care claims not genuine
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — A U.S. judge has barred Kraft, Kellogg and other major food producers from showing what the court called “shocking” and “heart-wrenching” videos of conditions inside certain hen houses at an upcoming antitrust trial against egg producers and marketers. In a ruling on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger in Chicago said the risk […] Read more
Activists target Ontario hog farm with ransomware
'We are dealing with adversaries whose motivation is not money'
Reading Time: 3 minutes A ransomware on a small Ontario hog business is something a cybersecurity expert says needs more attention from the agriculture industry. Instead of cash, the attackers demanded the hog business owners publicly admit to what they alleged to be livestock mistreatment. The occurrence was unique and alarming, says Ali Dehghantanha, Canada research chair in cybersecurity […] Read more
Animal care council won’t update livestock transport code of practice
NFACC says 'no further action' pending
Reading Time: 3 minutes After over four years’ publicly funded work to develop an updated national code of practice for livestock transport for Canada, the National Farm Animal Care Council has called a halt. In an information update dated May 1, NFACC said its board has now decided “no further action will be taken” by the council to update […] Read more
U.S. Supreme Court upholds California’s pig confinement law
Dissent suggests 'substantial burden against interstate commerce'
Reading Time: 3 minutes Reuters — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday preserved a California law banning the sale of pork in America’s most-populous state from pigs kept in tightly confined spaces, rejecting an industry challenge claiming that the voter-backed animal welfare measure impermissibly regulates out-of-state farmers. The justices voted 5-4 to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a […] Read more
Continuous tie-stall housing to be phased out in new dairy code of practice
Producer, animal welfare groups praise new code; some drawbacks were noted
Reading Time: 3 minutes New guidelines for dairy cattle care will improve animal welfare while also potentially increasing farm productivity, Dairy Farmers of Canada says. “I think that we’ve come to a very solid revised code,” David Wiens, DFC’s vice-president, said in an interview. The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) on Thursday released its revised Code of Practice […] Read more
Swiss reject initiative to ban factory farming
Voters back narrowly back rise in women's retirement age to 65
Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposal to ban factory farming in a referendum on whether the wealthy country’s strict animal welfare laws need to be tightened yet further. The government’s VoteInfo App showed a provisional result of 62.86 per cent of votes against the proposal, put to a referendum under […] Read more
Icahn drops proxy fights with Kroger’s, McDonald’s
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is dropping a proxy fight focused on the treatment of pregnant pigs at Kroger Co. after losing a similar fight with McDonald’s Corp last month, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. “I congratulate the McDonald’s team on their victory in this proxy engagement and, after much contemplation, given the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
