2019 Volatile Year In Markets

Dec 30, 2019

The chief agricultural economist with Farm Credit Canada (FCC) says 2019 was a very volatile, uncertain year.

JP Gervais says two things really stand out for the agriculture sector, trade and weather.

He notes China’s ban on canola seed shipments from two of our biggest exporters is still an issue.

"That really was a major, major event. We had canola prices that really started to somewhat decline at the end of 2018, going into early 2019 but certainly that brought canola prices even further down with the ban of canola seed going to China...Then in the summer we had also another ban with regards to our Canadian pork and beef exports."

Beef and pork exports to China have since been lifted with product slowly starting to move again.

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Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.