By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Monday January 18, 2021

Jan 18, 2021 | 10:11 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – Port of Thunder Bay reported an outstanding shipping season.

Cargo volumes came to 10.2 million tonnes, which marked the first time the tonnage topped 10 million since 1997.

Much of the success in 2020 was attributed to the port’s strategic position as Western Canada’s gateway to Eastern markets for grain.

Grain accounted for 9.2 million tonnes of the total movement through the port, up from 7.9 million the previous year.

Several factors contributed to the grain surge, including significant carryover of grain stock from the large 2019 harvest, and worldwide stockpiling of staple foods during the pandemic.

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The last vessel of the 2020-21 shipping season left the Port of Thunder Bay on Tuesday.

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The National Pork Producers Council said it supports a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposal to assume primary regulatory jurisdiction over the development of gene-edited livestock.

Gene-editing allows specific changes within an animal’s genome to produce more disease-resistance which requires fewer antibiotics and with a smaller environmental footprint.

Andrew Bailey with the council said the United States has been lagging other parts of the world in developing this technology.

“Many other countries be they our nearest neighbour Canada or Brazil, Argentina, even China are moving forward with this technology,” Bailey said. “Some of them are just adapting their novel foods regulations to cover this.”

Bailey said it will not change overnight but he is confident a science-based, practical regulatory mechanism will be in place and the USDA is well positioned to take charge of gene-editing in livestock.

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The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) has found its new chief executive officer.

Andrea Lear has a long history of not-for-profit experience working as the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association’s Executive Director. She also brings experience in financial services.

Lear replaces the retiring Marcel Hacault.

CASA is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and safety of farmers, their families, and agricultural workers.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF