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
Ag in the House: Oct. 20 – 24 Friday, October 31, 2025 MPs brought up ag and related issues multiple times during last week’s question period. On Oct. 20, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked if the Liberals would remove four taxes to make food more affordable for Canadians. “They now have four inflationary taxes that apply to... Read this article online
Kinew says drop tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to get Chinese duties dropped Friday, October 31, 2025 Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is asking the prime minister to scrap Canada’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in return for China lifting its tariffs on Canadian canola and pork. Kinew says in a letter to Mark Carney on Saturday that while he believes protecting Canada’s... Read this article online
Canadian Organic Alliance Launches National Action Plan Thursday, October 30, 2025 New Strategy Aims to Boost Canada’s Organic Agriculture The Canadian Organic Alliance; a coalition of the Canada Organic Trade Association, Canadian Organic Growers, and the Organic Federation of Canada has unveiled an Organic Action Plan for Canada. The initiative urges federal and... Read this article online
Federal Bureaucracy Grows While Service Quality Declines Thursday, October 30, 2025 New CFIB Report Shows Small Businesses Face Slow, Inconsistent Service from Federal Departments A new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reveals that despite significant growth in the federal public service, small businesses continue to experience slow,... Read this article online
CGC licencing change updates Thursday, October 30, 2025 A company in B.C. recently received a licence from the Canadian Grain Commission. As of Oct. 22, Seatarra Ingredient Alliance West Ltd. at 305-4190 Lougheed Highway in Burnaby, B.C., has a grain dealer licence. This type of licence is for “a person who, for reward, on his own behalf or... Read this article online