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
OPP Wrangle Runaway Horses Monday, February 16, 2026 Earlier this month, Lambton County residents saw a bit of unexpected horsepower trotting through Enniskillen Township—minus the engine. According to OPP West Region, officers were called out to rescue a loose horse that had taken itself on a brisk winter outing. Under the... Read this article online
GIFS at USask CEO applauds transparent, science-based approval of gene-edited pig Friday, February 13, 2026 The CEO of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan is applauding Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) following the regulatory approval of the PRRS-resistant pig, which was developed... Read this article online
Recall against Alberta ag minister likely to fail Thursday, February 12, 2026 The recall against Alberta’s minister of agriculture is likely to fail. With only nine days remaining to collect signatures, organizers in Minister RJ Sigurdson’s riding of Highwood have only secured 807 of the 15,788 (5.1 per cent) signatures required to recall the minister, according to... Read this article online
Possible measles exposure at Manitoba Ag Days Wednesday, February 11, 2026 Health officials in Manitoba are asking anyone who attended Ag Days in Brandon and the surrounding area to monitor symptoms of measles. “Possible exposures may have occurred in the city on the event days, on the days leading up to it and the days following it…,” Manitoba Health said in a... Read this article online
Former ag minister Ritz remembers working with Prime Minister Harper Wednesday, February 11, 2026 On the heels of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s official portrait unveiling in Ottawa on Feb. 3, Farms.com connected with his agriculture minister Gerry Ritz about working with Canada’s 22nd prime minister. Ritz, who in 2020 was elected reeve for the Rural Municipality of Mervin in... Read this article online