Fair Rail Freight Service Act Would Ensure Canadian Farmers Get Treated Fairly by Railways

Dec 11, 2012

Harper Government Seeks to Strengthen Rail Freight Service with New Bill

The Harper government is moving swiftly to strengthen rail freight service across the country with the introduction of the “Fair Rail Freight Service Act”. The bill will create an arbitration process that would allow the establishment of an agreement if and when commercial negotiations happen to fail.

The Honourable Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz and Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities the Honourable Denis Lebel announced the rail freight bill on Monday.

“To continue creating jobs and growth for the Canadian economy, agriculture producers and processors must be able to get their world class product to market in a reliable and efficient way,” said Minister Ritz.

The announcement follows some of the recommendations that were made by the Rail Freight Service Review Panel in 2011. The report recommended the creation of bilateral service agreements between shippers and railways would bring more clarity and reliability in rail service. The bill is especially good for farmers who rely on rail freight as part of the supply chain to ship their crops.

Video: How Swine Nutrition Can Revolutionize Biogas Production - Dr. Felipe Hickmann

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Felipe Hickmann from Laval University explores how nutritional strategies and manure management impact biogas production in pig farming. He breaks down the science behind anaerobic digestion at low temperatures and explains how dietary adjustments affect methane production and environmental sustainability. Learn how producers can reduce emissions and improve resource efficiency. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Lowering crude protein can reduce nitrogen in manure, but only if animal intake doesn’t compensate by increasing feed consumption."

Meet the guest: Dr. Felipe Hickmann / felipe-hickmann-963853a6 is a PhD research assistant at Laval University, specializing in swine and poultry sustainability. With extensive experience in manure management, nutritional strategies, and precision livestock technologies, he contributes to improving environmental outcomes in animal agriculture.