Reading Time: 2 minutes Farm Credit Canada’s recent outreach to specific agrifood sectors hit by unusual environmental conditions has now extended to those hit by the broader “economic environment.” The federal ag lender on Tuesday said it will offer an unsecured credit line of up to $500,000 with loan processing fees waived, “to help producers, agribusinesses and agri-food operations […] Read more

FCC offers new credit line against ‘current economic environment’
Ag lender to waive loan processing fees

Top court affirms hefty fine for man behind Quebec maple syrup heist
Back to prison if fine not paid in 10 years
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The man behind a decade-old maple syrup heist in Quebec will have to pay a $9 million fine, Canada’s top court said on Thursday, upholding an earlier ruling by a lower court. A group of people in Quebec siphoned off maple syrup worth over $18 million from a reservoir and replaced it with […] Read more

Grain, seed corn growers get access to seasonal worker program
Maple syrup also added to national commodity list
Reading Time: 2 minutes Growers of grains, oilseeds and seed corn and maple syrup producers may be able to get in on the federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) for the 2021 season. Federal Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough announced Nov. 27 the national commodity list (NCL) would be expanded to include seed corn, oil seed, grains and maple syrup […] Read more

New federal standard to expand beer ingredient options
Reading Time: 3 minutes More variety in allowable ingredients and more requirements for declarations are now part of the federal rules on what can be called beer in Canada. The federal government on May 1 announced “modernized” beer standards under Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) — the rules laying out the requirements to be met by a product […] Read more

With maple syrup tariff, Canada-U.S. trade dispute spills beyond metals
Reading Time: 2 minutes Toronto | Reuters — Canada’s retaliation against U.S. President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs includes proposed duties on U.S. maple syrup, a nod to a national symbol and a powerful industry in Quebec that could hurt producers in Maine. While small in dollar value, the tariff shows how Canada’s retaliation has turned a dispute […] Read more

Feeding the Indian tiger
Move over China. Food sales to India are set to roar
Reading Time: 5 minutes “The Indians are crazy for red lentils… potential sales are incredible,” says Lance Walker, head of Lazer Enterprises Inc. in Borden, Sask. Walker was working in a trade show booth as he told me this, one of the representatives of the 23 Canadian businesses that were participating at the 31st Aahar Food Hospitality Trade Fair […] Read more

N.S. fruit, maple syrup producers get AgriRecovery
Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal and Nova Scotia provincial governments will put up AgriRecovery funding for tree fruit growers dealing with fire blight, and maple syrup producers dealing with snow damage. The two governments on Tuesday announced separate AgriRecovery programs, budgeted at up to $2.69 million for fruit growers and up to $950,000 for maple syrup producers. The […] Read more