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NEWS
NOVEMBER 15, 2012 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER
BRIEF
TRADE | PANAMA
POTASH FACILITY
Canpotex gets OK for port terminal OTTAWA (Reuters) — Canpotex has received government approval to build a new export terminal at the port of Prince Rupert. Federal environment minister Peter Kent said in a statement the terminal was not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Canpotex, the offshore selling agency for potash mined in Saskatchewan, will work on the terminal project with Canadian National Railway, which hauls some of the agency’s potash on its southern British Columbia line. Canpotex sells potash on behalf of Agrium Inc., Potash Corp and Mosaic Co. in key markets such as China and India.
Panama trade deal nears final approval Agriculture benefits | Deal eliminates tariffs on french fries, pulses, malt barley and beef products BY BARRY WILSON OTTAWA BUREAU
More than two years after the agreement was signed, the House of Commons has approved a trade deal with Panama, sending the bill to the Senate for final approval. With the New Democratic Party, Bloc Québecois and Green Party leader Elizabeth May voting against it, the bill was approved Nov. 7 by a vote of 171 to 90. Although Panama is not a large market for Canadian agricultural products, export-oriented agricultural groups have supported the deal, first signed in August 2009 and introduced to Parliament in 2010.
It has been opposed by the NDP because of Panama’s record on labour rights, environmental protection and its status as an off shore haven for tax evasion. On Nov. 7 in the final Commons debate before the vote, Alberta Conservative MP Rob Merrifield and international trade committee chair said agriculture will be a major beneficiary of the trade deal. He said ratification of the deal will eliminate a 20 percent tariff on frozen french fries from Canada, a 15 percent tariff on pulse imports, a 10 percent tariff on malt barley and a tariff as high as 30 percent on beef products. During debate, Conservative MPs
RecIP Con om tra me ct nde d
argued that with a recent free trade deal between Panama and the United States and a pending deal with the European Union, Canada risks losing out on a growing market if the legislation is not passed and the deal is not sealed. Merrifield said the NDP, by opposing the bill, has led to a delay in capitalizing on a growing market. After many hours of debate, the Conservative government got the bill through the House of Commons by imposing a time limit on the debate. “There has been two and a half years of wasted time and opportunity for us to be able to capitalize on the great infrastructure of the Panama Canal as well as the opportunities for
ANIMAL WELFARE | FARMER PROTECTION
North Dakota law designed to protect agriculture sector BY ROBERT ARNASON BRANDON BUREAU
North Dakotans have voted for a law that protects the state’s agricultural industry from activist groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. On Nov. 6, 67 percent of voters supported Measure 3, an amendment to the state’s constitution barring new laws that “abridge the right of farmers and ranchers to employ agricultural technology, modern livestock production and ranching practices.” The North Dakota Farm Bureau sponsored the measure because organizations like the Humane Society of the United States have successfully introduced legislation on farming practices in other states, such as California. “Their long-term goal is to make everyone a vegetarian or a vegan and try to shut down meat consumption,” Jeff Missling, North Dakota Farm Bureau executive vice-president, told The Western Producer this summer. “They’re going about it incrementally by… trying to attack our animal agricultural industry.” Missling said agricultural leaders in several other states have inquired about the so-called “right to farm” measure, so the North Dakota approach may become a template for other jurisdictions.
More under your cap
CDC Meredith TWO-ROW MALTING BARLEY
our agriculture sector and many others,” said Merrifield, who farms 3,000 acres of grain and oilseeds in central Alberta. New Democrat MP Annick Papillon said her party sees “problems” with the Canada-Panama trade deal. She denied Conservative accusation that the NDP is anti-trade. “”We like to choose our partners,” she said. “It just does not make sense to me that the Conservative government is signing free trade agreements with just about anyone, as if Canada was up for grabs.” She said trading with Panama raises “serious concerns” because of its record on human and labour rights as well as the environment.
North Dakotans also voted on another measure connected to the Humane Society on election day. Animal welfare advocates in the state had sponsored Measure 5, which would have made it a felony for any individual to “maliciously and intentionally burn, poison, crush, suffocate, impale, drown, blind, skin, beat to death, drag to death, exsanguinate, disembowel, or dismember any living dog, cat, or horse.” North Dakota is one of two states in America, along with South Dakota, that treats extreme acts of animal cruelty as a misdemeanor offense, but 65 percent of voters in the state rejected the measure. Agriculture groups, including the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association, opposed the changes to the state’s animal cruelty regulations. On their website the Stockmen said the law wouldn’t protect animals and it was funded by the Humane Society of the United States, “an out of state animal rights group known for its anti-agriculture agenda.” “If you look at the ballot language it only addresses three species of animals – dogs, cats and horses,” said Julie Ellingson, executive vicepresident of the Stockmen’s Association. “We really think a proper care and treatment law should be something that is applicable across all species.”
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