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
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online
Early Career Research Award supports two Guelph research initiatives Tuesday, June 24, 2025 The was presented to two University of Guelph researchers at the recently held Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) symposium. Dr. Kelsey Spence received $40,000 towards her work in on-farm biosecurity research, and Dr. Sam Workenhe was awarded $60,000 to further his... Read this article online
Rural internet speeds have improved, but compared to urban gap is wide Friday, June 20, 2025 Rural internet speeds have improved, but the gap with urban areas is still wide, says Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) - the national not-for-profit best known for managing the .CA domain. Regional differences also continue—New Brunswick shows faster speeds, while as... Read this article online
Ontario Bean Growers are having a day and you are invited Friday, June 20, 2025 The Ontario Bean Growers have announced it will be holding its annual on August 20, 2025. The day begins with research presentations at 1 pm. Details of the research presentations will be published as they become available. At 4 pm, Chris Gillard will lead attendees on a tour... Read this article online