By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday January 5, 2022

Jan 5, 2022 | 9:48 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – Arbitrators issued the final report into U.S. complaints about how Canada is interpreting North American trade rules around dairy imports and both countries are claiming victory.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai requested a dispute settlement panel last May to examine allegations from American producers that Canada is denying them fair access to the Canadian market.

The panel was established under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s dispute-resolution system. It said Canada’s practices are inconsistent with the commitments spelled out in the trade deal.

Tai’s office said it won the dispute, which accused Canada of unfairly favouring Canadian processors, effectively denying U.S. farmers their fair share of the supply-managed Canadian market.

Canada’s Trade Minister Mary Ng and Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the ruling is in favour of Canada’s dairy industry.

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The Canadian statement acknowledged the report’s findings about quotas for dairy processors, but offered no clue as to whether the federal government plans to appeal or otherwise challenge the ruling.

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Nutrien Ltd. said Mayo Schmidt has stepped down as president and chief executive of the company and resigned from its board of directors.

The fertilizer company said Ken Seitz, executive vice-president and CEO of Nutrien’s potash business, has been named interim CEO.

Seitz, a former president of CEO of Canpotex, joined Nutrien in 2019.

Nutrien chair Russ Girling thanked Schmidt for his service and wished him the best in his next endeavours.

Schmidt was named CEO at Nutrien in April 2021. He joined the company’s board in 2012 and served as chair from May 2019 until he was appointed CEO.

Girling said the board will begin a global search for a new CEO that will consider internal and external candidates.

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Ag Growth International Inc. (AGI) said it has signed a deal to buy Eastern Fabricators, a maker of stainless steel equipment for food processors.

Under the agreement, AGI agreed to pay $29.25 million, plus up to an additional $15.75 million in earn-outs based on the achievement of certain financial targets.

Eastern has two facilities in Prince Edward Island and one in Ontario.

AGI chief executive Tim Close said Eastern brings a talented team along with market leading products, services, manufacturing capacity and, most importantly, customer relationships.

AGI is a producer of seed, fertilizer, grain, feed and food processing systems.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW