VICTORIA – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s interim rule requiring inspection of Canadian-grown fruits and vegetables being imported into the U.S. became a final rule on March 9. In 1991, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) exempted Canada from user fees for inspections of commercial transport and international air passengers, believing there […] Read more
Stories by Shannon Moneo
Laws rile raw milk producers
VICTORIA – A dispute between raw milk enthusiasts and health officials is taking a sour turn in British Columbia. At the centre of the storm is Home on the Range Farms, a dairy in Chilliwack, B.C., that produces raw milk, yogurt, butter, cream and cream cheese and distributes them to 400 Lower Mainland families and […] Read more
British Columbia revamps vet law
VICTORIA, B.C. – British Columbia’s 1,200 veterinarians will have an updated Veterinarians Act next year, putting them on the same page as their counterparts in Alberta and Ontario. Legislation first enacted in 1907 has been amended infrequently over the last century, leaving B.C. vets with a document that they say doesn’t adequately address disclosure, privacy […] Read more
B.C. land reserve harmful to sector: analyst
VICTORIA – A public policy analyst says British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Reserve hasn’t encouraged agriculture and has actually created an artificial land shortage. “The ALR should be eliminated, frankly,” said Diane Katz, director of risk, environment and energy policy for the Fraser Institute, an independent Canadian research organization. “It’s the most extreme land use program […] Read more
New disease lab opens in B.C.
VICTORIA – After nine months of testing, British Columbia’s first Containment Level 3 lab is fully operating not far from where the 2004 avian flu outbreak caused a $600 million loss to the province’s poultry sector. Built for $14 million, the three-storey CL3 lab is connected to the existing Animal Health Centre and its Level […] Read more
Genes reveal secrets to flavour
VICTORIA – Scientists studying how genes work within grapevines may turn the age-old craft of wine-making on its head. The University of British Columbia’s Wine Research Centre is leading a $3.4 million study into grape and wine genomics. Led by UBC viticulture professor Steven Lund, the project will use genomics to identify protein biomarkers in […] Read more
