Good morning! This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly roundup of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements and other government-related news for farmers, seed-growers, fertilizers, ranchers, cattlemen and cattlewomen, and their upstream suppliers and downstream buyers. Every Monday, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Want to track the upstream and downstream forces affecting Agri? Don’t miss this week’s updates in Freight & Ports and Oil & Gas.

Dates: 2025-07-13 to 2025-07-19

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🇨🇦 Canadian Federal GR News
• 🇺🇸 US Federal GR News
• 🗺️ Canadian Provincial GR News
• 💬 Government Consultations
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

Canadian Federal GR News

Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Ministers Meet: Changes to AgriStability and Interprovincial Trade Pilots

On July 18, 2025, federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers of Agriculture convened virtually to coordinate actions aimed at increasing resilience and competitiveness within Canada's agriculture sector. In response to heightened trade risk and challenging climate conditions, the Ministers announced temporary enhancements to the AgriStability program for the 2025 program year, raising the compensation rate from 80% to 90%, and doubling the maximum payment cap from $3 million to $6 million. For 2026, provinces and territories may adopt a new inventory valuation approach for on-farm destined inventories, and rented pasture feed costs are being considered as allowable expenses. The group endorsed pilots to facilitate interprovincial meat and slaughter trade, with aims to streamline low-risk manufactured food movement by removing select licensing requirements. Improving support from Canadian Food Inspection Agency to small- and medium-sized food businesses, expanding slaughter capacity in underserved regions, and accelerating pilot initiatives were also discussed. On the international front, the Ministers reviewed the role of the Indo-Pacific Agriculture Office and reiterated the importance of reengagement with China, particularly in regard to tariffs affecting agriculture and seafood. The group plans to follow up on these measures at their annual conference in Winnipeg this September.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Canada and New Zealand Settle CPTPP Dairy Tariff Rate Quotas Dispute

On July 17, 2025, Ministers Maninder Sidhu and Heath MacDonald issued a joint statement confirming resolution of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) dairy tariff rate quotas dispute with New Zealand. The negotiated outcome results in targeted, minor adjustments to Canada's TRQ administration for dairy products under CPTPP, including earlier return dates, a chronic return penalty, an underfill mechanism for quotas, and enhanced data transparency. These modifications, crafted in consultation with Canadian dairy stakeholders, do not alter existing market access or supply management arrangements. Implementation is scheduled for the 2026 calendar year, following a public release of the details on October 1, 2025. New Zealand agreed not to pursue further action under the CPTPP dispute process, providing Canadian dairy processors and producers with stability regarding quota allocations.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Publication of CEPA Strategy to Replace, Reduce, or Refine Vertebrate Animal Testing

Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada have published a new strategy under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), directing federal departments to progressively adopt alternatives to vertebrate animal toxicity testing when scientifically justified. The strategy, released July 19, 2025, sets out methodologies for prioritizing new approaches, enhancing research, and fostering stakeholder engagement. Implementation aims to reduce animal testing requirements in CEPA regulatory programs for substances, which could influence the regulatory process for pesticides, agrochemicals, and new agricultural biotechnology submissions. The document also incorporates feedback from public consultations conducted over 2024.

Sources: Gazette, Part I: www.gazette.gc.ca

Canada Gazette Details Plan of Priorities on Toxic Substances and Chemicals Management

The Department of the Environment and Health Canada outlined an updated plan for priorities under CEPA, describing ongoing procedures for managing risks associated with toxic substances. Highlights include proposals to develop new regulatory criteria for carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive toxicants (CMR), refining bioaccumulation standards, and establishing a permitting regime for continued use of certain restricted chemicals if safely justified. Future work may expand disclosure requirements for substances in products and provide targeted risk communications to industry stakeholders. The plan positions regulatory changes to potentially affect the import and use of agrochemicals, fertilizer components, and regulated agricultural commodities.

Sources: Gazette, Part I: www.gazette.gc.ca

Canadian Border Services Opens Africville Marine Container Examination Facility

The Canada Border Services Agency commenced operations at the new Marine Container Examination Facility at the Port of Halifax as of April 2025. The facility, funded by a $25 million investment from the Halifax Port Authority and the federal government, is intended to boost inspection efficiency and logistics performance for import and export goods, including agri-food shipments. The infrastructure incorporates secure examination bays, electronic cargo tracking, and features aiming to reduce truck congestion and facilitate trade growth, which could affect rural food exporters and port-linked supply chains.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Statistics Canada: Organic Fruit and Vegetable Output Data for 2024

Statistics Canada's latest estimates show certified organic vegetable production increased by 4.8% to 49.1 million kilograms in 2024, while organic fruit output declined 2.9% to 43.5 million kilograms. The aggregate farm-gate value reached $171.8 million, up 2.9% year-over-year. Production trends reflect regional weather patterns, including a cold snap that negatively impacted certain British Columbia fruit crops and a favorable drier summer contributing to higher vegetable yield in Eastern Canada.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

Statistics Canada Publishes Potato Seeded Areas for 2025

On July 18, 2025, Statistics Canada released new data on Canadian potato seeded area for the 2025 crop year. The dataset is available for detailed analysis of provincial and national acreage, supporting industry planning for potato production and downstream processing.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

Employment Trends in Rural Canadian Industries

A new update to Statistics Canada's interactive dashboard details employment by industry in rural Canada for June 2025. The dashboard is a resource for benchmarking agri-industrial labor trends and monitoring sector-specific workforce allocation across rural regions.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

Secretary of State Anna Gainey on Youth Skills in Agri-Tech

On July 15, 2025, Secretary of State (Children and Youth) Anna Gainey issued a statement on World Youth Skills Day, highlighting federal programs supporting digital and technical skill development. The Student Work Placement Program, in partnership with tech and agri-tech organizations, is providing hands-on experience to post-secondary students in digitally-driven sectors, including precision agriculture and agricultural technology.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

US Federal GR News

White House Announces Senior USDA Appointments and Key Nominations

On July 17, 2025, the President submitted a slate of nominations to the Senate, including Julie Callahan (DC) as Chief Agricultural Negotiator, replacing Douglas J. McKalip, and Todd Lindsey (ID) as Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Agriculture, succeeding Jon M. Holladay. John Walk (VA) was nominated as Inspector General of USDA, taking over from Phyllis K. Fong. These pending appointments have implications for agricultural trade negotiations and internal USDA oversight. Other nominees unrelated to agriculture included posts at the National Labor Relations Board and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Sources: White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov

USDA and Foreign Agricultural Service Remove Obsolete Ag Trade and Subsidy Rules

The Foreign Agricultural Service issued a final rule on July 18, 2025, removing outdated regulations from Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This includes elimination of monitoring procedures for Canadian fresh fruit and vegetable imports—rules that became obsolete after statutory authority expired in 2009—and withdrawal of the Sunflower Oil Assistance Program and Cottonseed Oil Assistance Program authorities, which lapsed in 1996. The update is part of an executive directive to reduce regulatory burden and clarify the federal agricultural regulatory corpus. No new compliance costs or reporting changes are associated with this action.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

EPA Finalizes New Tolerances for Acetamiprid Residues on Spices

The Environmental Protection Agency published a final rule on July 16, 2025, establishing tolerances for acetamiprid residues in or on a series of spice commodities, following a petition from the American Spice Trade Association. Tolerances for these spices are set at 2 ppm, including ambrette, cumin, nutmeg, and others, while black pepper is set at 0.1 ppm. EPA determined these levels are harmonized with Codex international standards. These changes impact importers, processors, and entities involved with specialty crop trade and compliance.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

USDA’s Domestic Sugar Program: FY2025 Allotments and Feedstock Flexibility Decisions

On July 17, 2025, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) revised FY2025 marketing allotments for beet and cane sugar processors, reassigning 500,000 tons of cane sugar allotment deficit to anticipated raw cane sugar imports. Adjustments reflect updated production estimates and are detailed in the Federal Register notice. CCC also announced no current plans to purchase or sell sugar under the Feedstock Flexibility Program for crop year 2024. These updates apply to all beet and cane sugar marketing in the US from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Transfer of Federal Subsistence Management Program Regulations

On July 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior jointly published a final rule transferring Federal Subsistence Management Program regulations for Alaska from 50 CFR part 100 to 43 CFR part 51. The administrative transfer aligns with the move of the Office of Subsistence Management from the Fish and Wildlife Service to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget. The regulatory adjustment includes technical corrections and revised points of contact for program administration, but does not alter existing subsistence use entitlements or operative harvest provisions.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Canadian Provincial GR News

Ontario Invests $5.4M in Agri-Food Research through Innovation Alliance

Ontario is allocating $5.4 million across 28 agri-food projects via the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, focused on commercializing research and driving advancements such as AI-driven pest robots and livestock nutrition strategies.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.ontario.ca

Alberta Marks 75 Years Rat-Free and Boosts Conservation Incentives

The Alberta government celebrates 75 years of successful rat control and launches two enhanced conservation programs with $10 million in funding aimed at supporting landowners and grassland management.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.alberta.ca

Saskatchewan Hosts International Ag in Motion Expo

Saskatchewan is hosting the Ag in Motion expo from July 15–17, welcoming delegations from 16 countries and showcasing agricultural technology, equipment, and market opportunities for food security.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www.saskatchewan.ca

Manitoba Invests $189M in Infrastructure Key to Farming Communities

The Manitoba government announced over $189 million in infrastructure upgrades, including highway and bridge projects, intended to improve safety and functionality for local agriculture and rural communities.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.gov.mb.ca

Upgrades Planned for Fredericton’s Boyce Farmers’ Market in New Brunswick

Nearly $1 million from federal and provincial governments will fund energy efficiency, accessibility, and modernization projects at the Fredericton Boyce Farmers’ Market, a major agri-food hub.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: www2.gnb.ca

Government Consultations

Consultation Opens on Adjusted Review Periods for New Pesticide Approvals

Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency has opened a consultation (NOI2025-02) on adjusted periods for public comment regarding Category A applications for new active ingredients and major new pesticide uses.

Sources: Canadian Government Consultations: www.canada.ca

What We're Reading This Week

• CCC, Canpotex strengthen agricultural resilience of Bangladesh: Canadian fertilizer and grain exporters extend support to agricultural modernization efforts in Bangladesh.
• From scattered sunlight to dozy bees, smoky days challenge Canada’s food growers: Farmers across Canada face reduced pollination and lower yields amid increased wildfire smoke and climate variability.
• Opinion: We must protect supply management from the trade war: A perspective on defending dairy supply management amid shifting international trade relations.
• Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture meet to help strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the sector: Industry reactions to joint ministerial actions on sector competitiveness.
• XCF Global Utilizes Domestic Feedstocks, Supporting American Farmers and Energy Independence: US-based XCF Global announces expansion of domestic feedstock sourcing for bioenergy.

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