The rise of the omicron variant of COVID-19 has cancelled several industry events planned for this month. Both the Pacific Agriculture Show and BC Dairy Industry Conference have made the difficult decisions to postpone in-person events until protocols around COVID-19 stabilize. While the Pacific Agriculture Show intended to decide by January 17 on whether or …
Dairy complaint succeeds
Canada’s use of tariff rate quotas in the dairy sector breaches the country’s obligations under CUSMA, the trade deal that replaced NAFTA on July 1, 2020, according to a settlement panel decision published this week. The decision stems from a complaint former US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer filed December 9, 2020. Lighthizer claimed that Canada’s reservation …
New year, old troubles
Weather woes and road closures continue to plague BC farmers, who entered the new year facing disruptions due to snow and ice. Arctic inflows sent temperatures across BC plummeting to record lows at the end of December, just six months after the province shattered high temperature records. Growers in the Lower Mainland still reeling from …
Chicken board gets a makeover
Chicken growers will have a greater say in the BC Chicken Marketing Board’s decisions following a provincial order in council issued June 19. Changes that take effect September 1 will give growers the opportunity to elect three members of the five-person board, up from two elected grower positions today. Those three grower members will also, …
Full circle for Okanagan Specialty Fruits
BC biotech success story Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF) is once more BC-owned, following its purchase this week by founder Neal Carter. Bought by Intrexon Corp. in 2015, the year its genetically engineered non-browning apples were approved for commercial production in the US, OSF was sold to venture capital firm TS Biotechnology Holdings LLC in …
BCAC policy forum kicks off
Penticton is the scene this week for the BC Agriculture Council’s new flagship event for the BC farm and ranch sector, the BC Agriculture Forum. Scheduled for June 24-25, the event replaces the gala that preceded the Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford each year until 2025. Rather than simply a social event celebrating the best …