A macrophage (immune response) cell in early stages of infection with African swine fever virus, magnified about 1,000x. (Keith Weller photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

MPs get assurance on Canada’s biosecurity preparedness

Canada well prepared for foreign animal diseases, officials say

Officials from several federal agencies have reassured the public about Canada’s animal biosecurity preparedness. Witnesses from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) spoke to MPs’ concerns about livestock diseases at a committee meeting last Wednesday afternoon. Biosecurity preparedness has been a relevant issue […] Read more

File photo of picketing federal workers represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) at Gatineau, Que. on April 20, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Blair Gable)

Federal workers reach tentative deal

Over 120,000 PSAC members back on job Monday

Over 120,000 striking federal government employees are expected to return to work starting Monday morning (May 1) after reaching tentative agreements overnight. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) announced after midnight Monday it had reached tentative agreements for workers in four bargaining units who negotiate with the federal Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Among […] Read more


(File photo)

Pulse weekly outlook: Larger pea, chickpea exports expected

China, Bangladesh among major destinations

MarketsFarm — Canadian pea, chickpea and edible bean exports will likely beat earlier expectations during the current 2022-23 marketing year, according to updated supply/demand projections from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The stocks-to-use rations for the three crops should also tighten as a result. In its report Friday, the government agency upped its call for Canadian […] Read more

Photo: Greg Berg

Analysts expect additional acres for canola, wheat

StatCan estimates due out Wednesday

MarketsFarm — If traders and analysts are correct with their estimates, there will be slightly more wheat and canola acres seeded in Canada this year compared to 2022. Statistics Canada (StatCan) will release its first survey-based acreage estimates for the 2023-24 marketing year on April 26. Other than drier and cooler conditions in southern Manitoba, […] Read more


File photo of a federal office building in downtown Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC raises canola stocks projections

StatCan's early acreage estimates due out this week

MarketsFarm — Canola ending stocks for both the current marketing year and 2023-24 were raised slightly by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in its latest supply/demand projections, released Friday. The government agency lowered its canola export forecast for 2022-23 by 200,000 tonnes from March, now pegging movement at 8.4 million tonnes. With domestic usage left […] Read more

File photo of a federal office building in downtown Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

Some 155,000 federal public workers on strike over pay dispute

Some AAFC, CGC work to be affected

Ottawa | Reuters — More than 155,000 public sector workers in Canada began a strike Wednesday after failing to reach a wage deal with the federal government by a Tuesday night deadline, in action that will affect tax filings and passport services during peak demand. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union said contract […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

AAFC supply/demand estimates mostly unchanged

Wheat exports up, but domestic usage cut

MarketsFarm –– Supply/demand estimates for Canadian crops were largely left unchanged in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) latest projections, with only the wheat numbers seeing small adjustments in the report released Tuesday. Projected Canadian wheat exports for the 2022-23 marketing year were raised to 24.3 million tonnes, up by 200,000 from the February estimate. Domestic […] Read more

The USDA building in Washington, D.C. (Art Wager/iStock/Getty Images)

USDA sees increased EU canola imports, no extra from Canada

U.S. also projects higher Canadian ending stocks

MarketsFarm — The European Union will likely import more canola (rapeseed) this year than earlier thought, but any increased movement should come from Australia or Ukraine rather than Canada, according to updated projections from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA raised its forecast for European rapeseed imports during the 2022-23 marketing year by 550,000 tonnes, […] Read more


ICE May 2023 canola with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Upswings likely out of question for canola

Canada's exports expected to ebb

MarketsFarm — Don’t expect any large increases in canola prices any time soon, according to Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg. In fact, there’s a good chance seen that old-crop canola could fall below its support level of $800 per tonne. Ball said 2022-23 canola ending stocks in Canada could increase because of the […] Read more

Yellow peas. (Victoria Popova/iStock/Getty Images)

Pulse weekly outlook: AAFC report makes minor changes

Revisions mainly in dry peas, chickpeas

MarketsFarm — Following the latest supply and demand estimates from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville said their numbers “all seem reasonable enough.” There were only a handful of small tweaks to pulses in the AAFC report released Friday. For the most part, the revisions came with dry beans and chickpeas. […] Read more