Council introduces new fee for on-farm food safety audits Thursday, April 19, 2012 by SUSAN MANNThe Canadian Horticultural Council will be charging a $50 per farm flat fee on all CanadaGAP audits starting in 2013 to help the national organization continue its advocacy work on behalf of growers.Anne Fowlie, council executive vice-president, says the fee will be added in to the overall CanadaGAP (Good Agricultural Practices) registration fee. Delegates to the council’s annual meeting in March approved the fee.There are two components to the cost of CanadaGAP certification. One part is the annual program enrolment fee participants pay to the council. The fee varies depending on which audit option a participant chooses. Audit costs participants pay directly to the certification body form the other part.When the council started the on-farm food safety program many years ago, discussions at that time noted “at some point in time there would need to be something in terms of a return on investment (for council),” she says.The council put in time and money to develop the CanadaGAP program and the money from the $50 per farm fee on all audits will be used to continue the overall work of the council “which will include in part continuing to monitor and look at food-safety related issues,” she explains. CanadaGAP is the council’s on-farm food safety program. It consists of national food safety standards and a certification system for the safe production, storage and packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables.The council is a voluntary, non-profit organization. The amount of money the council raises from the fee will depend on the number of participants, Fowlie says. BF Minister clarifies RMP cap New organization elects board
Pilot project supports Ontario and Quebec ag Friday, July 24, 2026 A new two-year pilot project is designed to help livestock farmers in Quebec by giving them access to an Ontario abattoir. The project, a collaboration between the Quebec and Ontario governments, with additional support from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), would see a limited... Read this article online
Canada Opens Interprovincial Alcohol Sales Thursday, July 23, 2026 A major change to Canada's internal marketplace is set to create new opportunities for wineries, breweries and distilleries after nine provinces signed a landmark agreement allowing direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages across participating jurisdictions. The deal is being hailed... Read this article online
Heat and Rain have led to a challenging growing season for Cauliflower Growers in Ontario. Thursday, July 23, 2026 There are only 1,225 acres dedicated to growing cauliflower in Ontario, but they produce 14,545,000 lbs of the vegetable. Growers across key vegetable-producing regions are preparing for increased shipments of locally grown cauliflower to grocery stores, restaurants, wholesalers and... Read this article online
Who Knew so Much Canadian Watermelon is Grown in Ontario Thursday, July 23, 2026 Many consumers may think of watermelon as an exotic fruit, but Ontario grows about2,000 acresof watermelons each year, more than 35,084tonnesof watermelon.Watermelonharvest now is underway. Watermelon originated in northeastern Africa, particularly in the region that today includes Sudan... Read this article online
Ontario Farmers Harvest One of Canada’s Top Carrot Crops Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Carrots are among Ontario's most important vegetable crops, contributing significantly to local food production and year-round fresh produce availability. Ontario grows the most carrots of any Canadian province – 45% of the country’s carrots. According to Statistics Canada, Ontario... Read this article online