Many popular and influential media stories imply this tariff applies to all canola, when in fact it affects only China’s imports of canola oil and meal, not its canola seed imports.
Stories by Cathy Holtslander
Corporate merger approvals need new approach
Will Canada approve, deny or put conditions on Bunge’s proposed takeover of Viterra? We don’t know yet, but on Aug. 1, the European Commission approved Bunge’s acquisition of Viterra on the condition it sells Viterra’s oilseed businesses in Hungary and Poland, along with logistical assets linked to these operations. “These commitments fully address the competition […] Read more
Feds should step up and buy Viterra
Just four companies known as the ABCD group control 90 percent of the world grain trade, and the B in this group is about to get much bigger. B is for Bunge, which has announced it is buying Viterra. The other ABCD companies are Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus. Viterra, a subsidiary of […] Read more
Science takes a backseat in Canada
Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced on May 3 that Canada will exempt gene-edited plants from regulation and mandatory public notification unless they contain foreign DNA or if they are herbicide tolerant. For all other changes in a gene-edited plant, the company decides if its product might cause environmental harm and thus should be assessed […] Read more
Say no to crop variety-use agreements
The annual seed guides have arrived, bringing farmers reliable information on which to base this year’s variety choices. These publications have a long history of providing objective, science-based information. The seed guides also present information regarding the varieties’ intellectual property status. While often overlooked when choosing a new variety, this information should be considered — […] Read more
Gene editing process not transparent
Canada is deciding how to regulate gene-edited plants, and is largely proposing not to. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for regulating genetically modified plants for environmental safety under the Seeds Act Regulations — Part V. These regulations define what is considered a “plant with novel traits” (PNTs) and how they are regulated. The […] Read more
Independent seed growers sidelined
In 2018, five seed industry groups collaborating under the name Seed Synergy published a paper, setting out their vision to increase seed companies’ revenues and cut their own costs at the expense of farmers, public plant breeders, and consumers. They aim to change Canada’s seed regulatory system to prevent farmers from freely using their own […] Read more
Faltering farm biodiversity overlooked
The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, and on May 22, the world celebrated International Biodiversity Day that marked the adoption on the International Convention on Biodiversity in 1992.This recognition of biodiversity’s importance to the planet is timely because around the globe species from all walks of life are disappearing at […] Read more
