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By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Apr 23, 2024 | 4:34 PM

David Hunt has been appointed the new Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC).

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Lawrence MacAulay said Hunt brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in Canada’s agriculture sector, in the areas of agricultural science, strategic policy, and organizational management.

Hunt joined the Manitoba’s Department of Agriculture in 2007. There he held several positions, including leadership roles with Veterinary Diagnostic Services and the Livestock Industry Branch, before accepting the position of Assistant Deputy Minister for the Corporate Services and Innovation Division.

Most recently, Hunt served as Assistant Deputy Minister within Manitoba’s Department of Environment and Climate Change.

Hunt’s four-year term as chief commissioner will begin on May 13.

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Quebec farmers are continuing a series of protests that have brought slow rolling tractors to communities across the province’s agricultural regions.

Quebec’s farmers union president Martin Caron said farmers are struggling with higher interest rates, growing paperwork and fees on plastic products, like containers of seeds, fertilizer and pesticides.

His organization is asking the provincial government to ensure farmers can get loans with interest rates of three per cent.

Sophie J. Barma, a spokeswoman for André Lamontagne, Quebec’s agriculture minister, says the government knows farmers are facing difficulties.

She said farmers can get emergency financial aid through a new program and the government is consulting with the farmers union about reducing paperwork.

But Caron said already indebted farmers can’t afford to take on new loans and he wants to see results, not more talk, about reducing paperwork.

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The Alberta RCMP Livestock Investigation Unit is investigating illegal slaughtering.

In November, RCMP started an investigation into unlawful livestock dealing and the illegal slaughter of sheep and goats in the southern part of the province. This included several individuals from rural areas and stores in Calgary.

Out of concern for public health, RCMP notified Alberta Health Services of seven stores that are part of the ongoing investigation.

No further details will be released at this time.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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