Tennessee backs down on ag-gag law Monday, August 5, 2013 In June's Better Pork, we reported that lawmakers voted to make Tennessee the latest state to approve a so-called "ag-gag" law, a bill to make it illegal to record animal cruelty incidents on livestock farms without reporting them to the police right away.Just after we went to press, Tennessee Republican governor Bill Haslam vetoed the bill, following the opinion of his Democratic attorney general that it wouldn't pass a constitutional challenge, freedom of speech being nearly as important in that country as freedom to own a gun.According to Meatingplace.com, Haslam also cited concerns that the new law might take away reporters' rights to gather information for stories, and that it might be harder to prosecute legitimate animal cruelty cases "as an unintended consequence."As well, a number of Tennessee celebrities jumped on the bandwagon, among them songwriter Emmylou Harris, country music singer Carrie Underwood and even Priscilla Presley. The Humane Society of the United States sees it as a victory; the Animal Agriculture Alliance, which writes and speaks out against animal rights legislation, is not pleased. BP A Chinese takeover of Smithfields? The battle of the polls over gestation stalls
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
Ag included in Carney’s visit to India Monday, March 2, 2026 Announcements and commitments related to agriculture have emerged from Prime Minister Carney’s trip to India. A March 2 fact sheet from Carney’s office indicates multiple deliverables with some involving segments of the Canadian ag industry. Here’s what they are: Both governments... Read this article online