Monday’s federal election painted much of BC blue, with the exception being coastal ridings and the southern Interior riding of South Okanagan-West Kootenay. Of the 42 ridings in the province, 17 went to the Conservatives under Andrew Scheer. Those ridings represent a predominantly rural populace. Eleven ridings voted in NDP candidates, including those on Vancouver …
trade
Record high pork stocks
Chinese consumers eat 88 pounds of pork a year, more than anyone else in the world, but a trade war means producers from North America won’t be able to feed that market – and they’ll have to deal with rising inventories of their own in the interim. China is home to more than half the …
Agriculture’s potential wins applause
A report on the potential of Canada’s agriculture sector has won applause from the Canadian Federation of Agriculture as the national farm organization ramps up efforts to put farming front-and-centre in the country’s election. RBC says the farm sector could boost its contribution to Canada’s gross domestic product to $51 billion by 2030, up from …
Growers seek trade clarity
Representatives of BC fruit growers had a conference call with Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials yesterday to discuss new protocols for shipments of fresh produce to the European Union. The new regulation comes into effect September 1 and requires a systems approach to certification of fresh apples, pears, cherries, blueberries (and related species), potatoes and …
Free trade ratification delayed
Summer, and the livin’ is easy – but the new free trade deal awaits the fall. Ratification of the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement that’s set to replace the existing North American Free Trade Agreement now seems set to be delayed till November, following the failure of US lawmakers to advance ratification of the treaty prior to their …
Ottawa targets trade issues
The federal government is seeking to reassure producers it’s supporting them in the midst of trade troubles. On July 25, federal agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced up to $6 million for Canada Pork International under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriMarketing Program “to strengthen, diversify and grow Canada’s pork exports in priority markets around the world.” …