By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Thursday December 2, 2021

Dec 2, 2021 | 9:45 AM

MELFORT, Sask. — The union representing workers at one of the country’s busiest meat-packing plants said it has reached a tentative deal with Cargill just days before the strike deadline.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents about 2,000 workers at the plant in High River, Alta., said it recommended its members accept the latest contract offer from the company.

In a statement on its website, the union said the new contract offer, if ratified on Saturday, would be the best food processing contract in Canada.

Cargill spokesperson Daniel Sullivan said the company is offering a six-year collective agreement that includes retroactive pay, signing bonuses, a 21 per cent wage increase over the life of the contract and improved health benefits.

He said the company is optimistic the deal can be ratified before the deadline.

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Manitoba farmers can still recycle empty grain bags or used baler twine before the full onset of winter.

Cleanfarms executive director Barry Friesen said it doesn’t matter if the grain bags were purchased this year or if they were left over from previous years.

“As long as farmers take steps to make sure they are free of grain and debris and rolled, we’ll take them at our collection sites for recycling,” he said.

In 2020, Manitoba Conservation and Climate asked Cleanfarms to transition the grain bag and twine pilot to a provincewide permanent recycling program that would give farmers broader access to recycling.

Under the regulation, responsibility for the permanent program now rests with the companies that supply grain bags and baler twine. The regulated program includes a non-refundable environmental handling fee (EHF) that helps cover the cost of recycling. It is applied to grain bag and baler twine sales at the time of purchase.

Cleanfarms has set up 35 recycling collection sites across Manitoba.

Details about the location and hours of operation of each recycling collection site, along with instructions on how to prepare the materials for recycling, can be found here.

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Elanco Animal Health has announced a structural plan that will see significant job losses.

As a result, 380 positions, including roughly 20 per cent of senior management, will be eliminated.

The company said the streamlining will focus investments on new product launches and increased investment in the Chinese market.

The company employs 10,000 people worldwide.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW