As fall harvest hits full stride, columnist Owen Roberts chronicles the labour shortage in North America, quoting the International Fresh Produce Association: import labour or import food.

OFVGA executive director Alison Robertson points out that the Grocery Code of Conduct, in its current form, does not address specific long-held grower concerns, such as providing reimbursement for truck waiting times or dropping various fees.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association concluded its semi-annual board and committee meetings in late August in Kelowna, British Columbia. Its focus was on the produce industry solutions space.

The Canadian crop estimate is 20.7 million bushels, up 6.5 per cent from 2023.

The Government of Canada has announced that immediate changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program will not affect primary agriculture, recognizing the needs of the food security sector.