Concessions under CUSMA, which replaced NAFTA at the beginning of July, have cost the BC dairy industry approximately $8.6 million to date. This week, through Dairy Farmers of Canada, producers called on Ottawa to announce compensation and a clear timeline for delivering the direct payments it promised the sector as a result of the new …
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Poultry plant outbreak
A fifth meat processing plant in the province has suffered an outbreak of COVID-19. The outbreak was announced October 18 by Fraser Health Authority, which identified the location as the J. & L. Beef Ltd. plant at 17565 65A Avenue in Surrey. The plant operator is Sunrise Poultry Processors Ltd. The initial case tested positive …
Milk board wants froth
A surge in complaints from baristas has prompted the BC Milk Marketing Board to ask producers to test the foaming character of their milk prior to shipment. “‘Non-foaming’ milk continues to appear periodically … and has escalated rather significantly since late August,” a notice to producers this week stated. “Coffee shops compete on the quality …
Turkey farm draws protestors
A poultry grower in Kelowna is the latest target of one of the four activists charged in the invasion of an Abbotsford hog farm last year. Amy Soranno led a protest on Thanksgiving weekend against Patton Farms Inc. in Kelowna, which is building a barn and provincially inspected Class B slaughter facility set to come …
Turkey sales up
Retail sales of turkeys are up versus a year ago as Thanksgiving approaches, according to the BC Turkey Marketing Board. Nationally, the industry has seen a 10% cut in production this year as the COVID-19 pandemic scaled back foodservice demand. More recently, government warnings regarding the importance of smaller gatherings at Thanksgiving to limit the …
Meat producers frustrated by consultations
MERRITT – BC meat producers are frustrated that the province is spending more time studying how to help them than getting on with acting on its findings. The BC Ministry of Agriculture released an intentions paper September 14 aimed at modernizing rural slaughter practices, but Julia Smith of the Small-Scale Meat Producers Association says the …