LAST CHANCE TO COMPLETE OUR BARRIERS TO FARM GROWTH SURVEY! . . . FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS AVIAN FLU THREAT OVER AFTER SURVEILLING B.C. FARMS . . . TTIP TALKS: FOOD FIGHTS BLOCK EU–US TRADE DEAL . . . STATUE PLAN FLIES IN FACE OF FEDS’ POLICY, SAY FORMER STAFFERS . . . N.B. REPORT STUDIES WHERE THE MARITIMES WILL GET NATURAL GAS IN THE FUTURE . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

LAST CHANCE TO COMPLETE OUR BARRIERS TO FARM GROWTH SURVEY!
Source: ThinkFarm
Do you want to grow your farm? Are there barriers preventing you from achieving the size of farm you would like to have? The Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture (NSDA), through its ThinkFarm program, would like to hear about the barriers that you face in trying to grow your farm and are requesting that you complete an anonymous survey to tell us. The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete and will help us to understand the issues you are facing. It is the hope that with your input the NSDA can assess its current programs and services to address some of the barriers that you identify. Complete our survey before Friday, June 12! (read more)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS AVIAN FLU THREAT OVER AFTER SURVEILLING B.C. FARMS
Source: MySask.com
British Columbia farms have been declared free of avian flu after a three-month surveillance period to ensure eradication of the disease in domestic poultry. The CFIA says about two dozen countries that had restricted import of birds and bird products from B.C. may now resume normal operations. The H5N2 influenza outbreak that began last December affected 11 commercial chicken and turkey farms in the Fraser Valley, as well as a couple of backyard coops. At the time, the agency created a control zone across the southern half of the province to stop the spread of the virus, but now says it will work toward resuming trade as quickly as possible. The CFIA says it expects countries that restricted trade from Canada as a whole will keep restrictions in place until Ontario is also declared free of avian flu. (read more)

TTIP TALKS: FOOD FIGHTS BLOCK EU–US TRADE DEAL
Source: BBC
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) would dwarf previous free trade deals. The European Commission estimates that by 2027 it could boost the size of the EU economy by €120bn (£94bn; $152bn) – equal to 0.5 percent of GDP – and the US economy by €95bn (0.4 percent of GDP). European opponents argue that TTIP risks watering down EU regulations in the drive to remove trade barriers. There are tensions over TTIP in the European Parliament, whose draft recommendations proved too controversial for MEPs to vote on it this week. What divides the EU and US on food safety? The transatlantic dispute over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been raging for years.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33055665

STATUE PLAN FLIES IN FACE OF FEDS’ POLICY, SAY FORMER STAFFERS
Source: The Chronicle Herald
More than 20 former senior parks employees say the Canadian government is defying its own policies as it moves ahead with a project that would see the construction of a towering war monument at Green Cove. Nikita Lopoukhine said the group is speaking out against an apparent fast-tracking of the Never Forgotten National Memorial Foundation’s Mother Canada statue that is planned for Cape Breton Highlands National Park. A retired director general for national parks, Lopoukhine said it appears Ottawa has aborted public consultation on the project. (read more)

N.B. REPORT STUDIES WHERE THE MARITIMES WILL GET NATURAL GAS IN THE FUTURE
Source: Global News
A new report highlights the importance of securing a stable source of natural gas before the current supply is exhausted. The report was commissioned by the Atlantica Centre for Energy and examines the natural gas supply and demand for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia between 2015 and 2025. “Demand has grown since 1999,” said Colleen Mitchell, the group’s president. “It’s really just rocketed forward. Now we’ve built up that demand, where are we going to get the supply from?” (read more)