Livestock breeding patent unites German farmers and environmentalists Tuesday, June 2, 2009 German farmers and environmentalists have something in common for once. Both groups object to a patent being granted on a gene that is linked to rapid growth in pigs. In a rare show of solidarity, 400 of them protested in front of the European Patent Office in Munich in mid-April. Their shared goal – to prevent a patent application for livestock breeding from being granted. The technique, described in Patent EP 1651777, is not a genetic modification, but a screening process to find and mate pigs that naturally grow fast. Farmers believe that eventually they might have to pay a private company a royalty to produce livestock they have raised themselves. Originally filed in the patent office in 2004 by Monsanto, the patent has since been granted to Newsham Choice Genetics. BP Pork campaign targets younger females Solutions to labour shortages may lie offshore
Groups call for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered pork products Wednesday, March 4, 2026 A coalition of five organizations representing agriculture, food, and biotechnology, want products derived from genetically engineered pigs to be labeled as such. A Feb. 24 letter to Health Minister Marjorie Michel that included Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald as a recipient says... Read this article online
China reduces tariffs on Canadian canola seed Tuesday, March 3, 2026 China is furthering reducing its tariffs on Canadian canola. On Feb. 28, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced its final ruling on anti-dumping levies for Canadian canola seed and lowered the related tariffs from 75.8 per cent to 5.9 per cent. Paired with China’s standard 9 per cent... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
Stats Canada reporting higher sheep and cattle inventories Monday, March 2, 2026 New data from Statistics Canada shows higher sheep and cattle inventories on Jan. 1 of this year compared to 2025. Stats Canada’s livestock estimates report counted 11.1 million head of cattle on farms, compared to 10.9 million head in 2025. This 2.5 percentage increase represents the... Read this article online
Ag in the House: Feb. 23 – 27 Monday, March 2, 2026 Conservatives want to know why the government is acting in ways that harm Canada’s agriculture industry. During question period on Feb. 23, Conservative Agriculture Critic John Barlow highlighted Liberal policies, closing ag research sites, and red tape as reasons why farmers struggle and... Read this article online