Ontario Pork board plans meetings with farmers before releasing its position on a mandatory sow stall ban Thursday, May 16, 2013 by SUSAN MANNOntario Pork’s board will issue its position on a mandatory sow stall ban after it consults with farmers and others once the national Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs is released for public comment June 1.The National Farm Animal Care Council in consultation with industry and other stakeholders is developing the code. Keith Robbins, Ontario Pork spokesman, says they anticipate there will likely be a 60-day consultation period as part of the code’s release.He says the board will host a minimum of one meeting and possibly a series of three meetings across Ontario near the end of June with elected producer representatives and farmers. The board talked about having a representative from the council that developed the code give a briefing about what’s in it, the background behind what’s included and then “soliciting some kind of feedback” from farmers, he says. “I don’t think the board is going to issue a position statement until after that consultation.”Producers will be given support materials ahead of time, he says. Ontario Pork will try and get as many farmers as it can to the meetings, which will probably be held in areas with the largest numbers of pork farmers.The meetings will cover all aspects of the code, including the use of sow stalls. The code also talks about pain controls, spacing and “all the aspects, such as lighting and all the rest of it,” he says.In March, delegates at Ontario Pork’s annual meeting voted 69-12 against a mandatory sow stall ban in Ontario. But several pork buyers, including Tim Hortons and the Retail Council of Canada, representing grocery stores, have called on the industry to discontinue the stalls’ use by 2022. BF Ontario Pork starts collecting fees on out of province weaner sales Certification program aims to produce ractopamine-free pork
Minister MacDonald heading to Indo-Pacific Tuesday, July 29, 2025 The federal minister of agriculture is heading east. Minister Heath MacDonald is traveling to Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines to promote Canadian ag in the Indo-Pacific region. In 2023, Canada exported almost $23 billion of ag products to this part of the world. The... Read this article online
Crop Conditions Show Mixed Results Amid Moisture Stress Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Recent precipitation across Alberta has provided some much-needed relief to crops, improving conditions in certain regions. However, prolonged dry spells continue to challenge crops and pastures in others, with growing season rainfall remaining below average. According to the AFSC and... Read this article online
Potato industry on PEI to save up to $7 million because of cuts to bridge tolls Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Effective August 1, 2025, tolls on the Confederation Bridge will drop dramatically, with personal vehicle tolls falling from $50.25 to $20. Commercial vehicles will also benefit from these reductions. In addition, ferry tolls in Newfoundland and Labrador and other regions will see... Read this article online
Soil Compaction Challenges Tuesday, July 29, 2025 Ontario’s spring planting faced challenges from soil compaction, impacting crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat. Despite some areas experiencing rapid planting under ideal conditions, other regions, even those with lighter soils, struggled due to excessive rainfall. The team at OMAFA –on... Read this article online
Applications Open for Grains Innovation Fund 2026 Monday, July 28, 2025 Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO), the province’s largest commodity organization representing 28,000 farmers, is now accepting applications for the 2026 Grains Innovation Fund. The fund offers grants up to $75,000 to support innovative projects that promote the use of Ontario’s grains such as... Read this article online