Humans spread ASF in Europe Tuesday, February 9, 2016 Humans are responsible for the spread of African Swine Fever in eastern Europe. That is the conclusion of scientists Klaus Depner and Sandra Blome at Germany's Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut.High levels of the virus causing ASF are found in the blood of infected animals, much less in saliva and feces, so living animals are not that contagious. Furthermore, sick animals with fevers don't travel; they stay put and die a few days after infection. Carcasses of infected wild boars do remain a source of infection for some time. The scientists speculate that, when many pigs were going to die, they were sent to slaughter and infected meat made it to markets, homes and suitcases. The virus spread along main roads.Farms that became infected were found to have insufficient biosecurity measures in place. Attempts to eradicate wild boars, thought to be a source of the disease, simply scared sick animals away, so that they died in other locations. Good hygiene and biosecurity are the answer, the scientists say. BP Venting on the weather Sizzle hasn't left the price of bacon
Alberta ROCT makes drug and weapons busts Thursday, June 25, 2026 A team of RCMP officers dedicated to keeping rural communities safe made significant drug and weapons busts recently. On June 20, the Rural Organized Crime Team (ROCT), which the provincial government provided $2 million of support for earlier in the month, found drugs and firearms during... Read this article online
Canada’s only commercial olive farm up for sale Thursday, June 25, 2026 A rarity in Canada, the only commercial olive farm in the country, is going up for auction in August. CLHbid.com will oversee the sale of The Olive Farm and its almost 74 acres of land in Salt Spring Island, B.C. Canadian olive production is very low because of its cold winters, and... Read this article online
Manitoba grain elevators listed as endangered Thursday, June 25, 2026 Grain elevators in the RM of Brenda-Waskada are considered some of the top 10 endangered structures in all of Manitoba. The Manitoba Historical Society on June 23 published its annual list of “historically significant buildings around our province that deserve to be preserved and better... Read this article online
NOAA Declares El Nino, Raising Key Weather Risks for Agriculture Thursday, June 25, 2026 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has officially declared the onset of El Niño, confirming that ocean temperatures in the central Pacific have risen high enough to trigger one of the world’s most influential climate patterns. The declaration follows sustained... Read this article online
Anti-Dumping Probe Targets Wheat Gluten Imports in Canada Thursday, June 25, 2026 The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has opened an anti-dumping investigation into certain wheat gluten imports entering the Canadian market from Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom. The inquiry will examine whether these products are being sold in Canada at unfairly low prices,... Read this article online