OSPCA 'out of control,' says MPP Sunday, March 3, 2013 At a meeting of the Huron-Perth Landowners Association in Brussels in January, MPP Jack MacLaren made it clear what he thinks of the Ontario SPCA, the charity endowed by law to take care of animals in the province. "This group is out of control. The OSPCA is a corrupted organization. They have become infiltrated by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and other animal rights groups. In their view, animal agriculture is something that should not happen."Asked to explain how he knew the OSPCA was infiltrated, MacLaren backed off. "Well, I can't guarantee it, but I know that Clayton Ruby is a lawyer who does a lot of work for the OSPCA on animal issues and if you Google him, he is affiliated with PETA, or is a supporter."A CBC item from September 2011, identifies Ruby as a lawyer representing PETA and Zoocheck in a case about an elephant living at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. (Zoocheck describes itself as "a national animal protection charity established in 1984 to promote and protect the interests and well-being of wild animals.")"I can't swear to you on a stack of bibles that PETA is involved," MacLaren says. "But I feel pretty confident that they are. It is an animal rights philosophy that has influenced the organization. They are not an unbiased body when it comes to animal rights at all." BF Ireland's beef about horse and pig meat The world's rarest animals not what you think
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online