By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Monday, May 1, 2023

May 1, 2023 | 11:43 AM

May 1 is recognized as a globally significant day for farmers and workers.

On May Day the National Farmers Union (NFU) called for action on migrant rights.

The NFU asked the federal government to immediately adopt the 2018 UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP).

It defines the rights that must be upheld to ensure the diversity of food producers is respected and have their voices heard.

NFU Youth President Jessie MacInnis said Canada has yet to support UNDROP.

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“Canada’s abstention from the UNDROP vote [in the United Nations General Assembly] does not give it a free pass to deny the presence of peasant rights violations in this country,” MacInnis said. “Ensuring the implementation of UNDROP is an integral part of a global struggle to challenge, dismantle, and rebuild the food system in line with food sovereignty.”

Since 2006, Canadian migrant rights organizations annually recognize May Day by demanding rights and justice denied to undocumented and seasonal migrant workers.

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CN Rail (CNR), Union Pacific Railroad, and GMXT have announced the creation of Falcon Premium intermodal service.

The partnership will provide Mexico-US-Canada service with a rail connection in Chicago, Illinois.

It will directly connect all CNR origin points within Canada and Detroit, Michigan to GMXT terminals in Mexico: Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Silao, Guanajuato.

CNR President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Robinson said the service will benefit intermodal customers shipping automotive parts, food, home appliances, and temperature-controlled products.

“Falcon Premium service is a game changer for intermodal customers. By leveraging each partner’s best services and routes, we are creating a transformational new product,” Robinson said. “Our commitment is to run this service with the utmost focus to maximize speed, reliability, and customer satisfaction. This service is an example of how collaboration and cooperation can improve supply chains for customers.”

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed it has discovered the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu, better known as H5N1, at a commercial poultry operation in B.C.

The agency said it will now set up additional primary control zones as needed around the infected zone, currently centred around the communities of Yarrow and Barrowtown 90 kilometres east of Vancouver.

Since an outbreak began in 2022, H5N1 has forced farms in B.C. and across Canada to cull millions of birds when an infection is found.

In March, B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture said it found eight dead skunks in Vancouver and nearby Richmond, B.C., that tested positive for H5N1.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW