Group gives thumbs up to new food safety legislation Wednesday, June 6, 2012 by SUSAN MANNFood manufacturers are welcoming a new legislation that federal officials say will enable Canada’s government to better protect Canadians from unsafe foods.Adam Grachnik, communications director for Food & Consumer Products of Canada, says the Safe Food for Canadians Act is a “much needed change and we applaud the federal government for it.” The association represents the food and consumer products industry.Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and other federal officials released details about the Act at a press conference in an Ottawa grocery store today. The Act was also tabled in the Senate today.Grachnik says the Act “will further enhance Canada’s reputation as a global food and beverage products safety leader.”The federal government’s press release says the new Act will consolidate the Fish Inspection Act, the Canadian Agricultural Products Act, the Meat Inspection Act and the food provisions of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.It will align inspection and enforcement powers across all food commodities, improve the safety of food, reduce overlap and help industry to better understand and comply with food safety laws.Rick Holley, a professor in the University of Manitoba’s food science department, says the proposed food safety legislative changes are generally positive. “Hopefully what it will mean is the inspection staff in the various commodity areas will better recognize what the expectation is of them when they’re out in the field,” he says.With current legislation embodied in several acts, the inspectors were given different latitude to enforce the regulations. “Now this is going to be more uniform,” he says.The release says there will also be tougher fines for activities that put Canadians’ health and safety at risk. The previous fines handed out for a serious offence were a maximum of $250,000. But under the new Act, the penalties could be $5 million or higher at the court’s discretion. There are also new penalties for recklessly endangering the lives of Canadians through tampering, deceptive practices or hoaxes.The Act will also provide a new mechanism for regulated parties to get certain decisions by Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials reviewed.There will be a new authority in the Act that would allow certification of any food commodity for export. The Act will also strengthen controls over imported foods, introduce powers to register or license regulated parties, and prohibit the importation of unsafe foods.The agriculture and food departments will both have a role to play in the food safety system. The agriculture minister, through responsibility for the CFIA, would administer and enforce the Act and its regulations. The health minister retains the responsibility of developing policies and standards for food safety and nutritional quality. BF More needed to save Ontario harness racing: industry CFIA proposal to standardize food inspection make sense says farm group
Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder Friday, September 20, 2024 By Braxteen Breen, Whether you are constructing/repairing fencing and other structures around the farm, you can get those tasks completed on the farm quickly with the Stinger Spade Bits kit from Spyder. The Spade Bits kit provides an economical solution for someone who wants to make... Read this article online
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online