Justin Trudeau – The Sprout: Trudeau points supplementary mandate letters
Good morning and welcome to the Sprout, the place it’s Nationwide Peking Duck Day. If that’s probably not up your sleeve, yesterday was nationwide Sizzling Buttered Rum Day — which, throughout these pandemic instances, we predict can positively be prolonged by a minimum of sooner or later.
Right here’s as we speak’s agriculture information.
The Lead
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has despatched supplementary mandate letters to his ministers. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has acquired new directions to work with a number of of her cupboard colleagues, together with the minister of northern affairs, to battle meals insecurity in Canada. Bibeau can be to collaborate with the Particular Consultant for the Prairies, Jim Carr, to “lead government-wide efforts to strengthen local, sustainable, and value-added food-supply chains in Canada.”
In response to the pandemic, Bibeau has additionally been advised to “help the minister of employment, workforce improvement and incapacity inclusion to proceed to totally help and shield employees who’re weak to COVID-19 and safe labour to fill workforce gaps in farming and meals processing.”
Of word for the supply-management sector, the minister’s addendum to her mandate letter stipulates that she should “conclude the work to ensure that those in supply-managed sectors receive full and and fair compensation for recent trade agreements.” You possibly can learn the total letter right here.
Supplementary mandate letters have additionally been issued to Canada’s commerce minister, the minister for employment, workforce improvement and incapacity inclusion, and the transport minister.
Round City
The Canadian Agri-Meals Coverage Convention kicks off as we speak, however in digital kind. Extra data is right here.
International Affairs has revealed a discover within the Canada Gazette in regards to the complete evaluation of the allocation and administration of Section 2 of Canada’s tariff-rate quotas for dairy, poultry and egg merchandise. You could find it right here.
In Canada
Larger carbon taxes on rail transportation will scale back the farm-gate value of Western Canadian crops by a number of {dollars} per tonne, two current reviews recommend. As Actual Agriculture reviews, based on new calculations by the Agricultural Producers Affiliation of Saskatchewan, Ottawa’s proposed $170/tonne carbon tax in 2030 will add $12.52/acre in added prices for wheat farmers within the province.
In the meantime, the Western Producer says farmers need carbon credit tied to the carbon tax.
And CBC Information Newfoundland and Labrador reviews on methods to battle starvation within the province.
Internationally
We begin with a pandemic replace. The U.S. Division of Agriculture stated on Friday it can present an additional $2.three billion to assist farmers affected by COVID. A lot of the cash is supposed to compensate livestock farmers for slaughter disruptions and a collapse in demand from eating places. Reuters has the most recent.
Chinese language-government officers say COVID has been present in ice cream produced in japanese China, prompting 1000’s of cartons of the stuff to be recalled. The Related Press reviews.
Politico reviews on meals and farm employees left in limbo as efforts to prioritize them for COVID vaccinations are being challenged by patchwork distribution plans and restricted doses. (Nearer to dwelling, the Western Producer appears to be like at how Canadian provinces don’t have clear plans to vaccinate meat-plant employees.)
In the meantime, farmers within the UK. say tens of 1000’s of eggs are being donated to native meals banks as demand from eating places plummets. As BBC Information reviews, one farmer in Cornwall quipped that hens “can’t be furloughed.”
In non-COVID information, Reuters is reporting {that a} caravan of migrants sure for the U.S. is hunkering down in Guatemala after home safety forces prevented them from persevering with. In accordance with people with the group, they’ve been given no meals or water.
Trade officers say the Mexican authorities’s plan to ban genetically modified corn over three years will disrupt the nation’s meals provide, together with its giant livestock business. Reuters has that story, too.
The Guardian asks why folks residing close to a Dutch goat farm are getting sick.
And Profitable Farming reviews on how Invoice Gates will change how the U.S. farms.
Noteworthy
The Kicker
On the lookout for some potato humour to assist cross the lockdown? A month-to-month publication referred to as Potato Puns and Different Enjoyable is promising one potato joke, one potato reality, and another spud-related enjoyable that the creator, Colby Robertson, feels inclined to incorporate. You possibly can enroll right here. (To kick issues off, we provide a joke of our personal: Why do potatoes make good detectives? As a result of they preserve their eyes peeled.)
With that, have an ideal day! Till tomorrow.
This story was copy-edited after publication, on Jan. 18 at 5:27 p.m.
