IN THEIR PRINTED NEWSPAPER

The EU bought 5.8 million tonnes of the oilseed through the first 37 weeks of the crop year, according to Strategie Grains. That is up 57 per cent over the same period a year ago. Ukraine is the leading supplier. The war-torn country accounted for half of the EU’s imports through March 12. Australia is close behind, with 41 per cent market share or 2.87 million tonnes worth of sales. Canada is a distant third.

“The simple reason is that our price is not competitive into Europe versus Ukraine or Australia,” said MarketsFarm analyst Bruce Burnett.

Prices in Canada are high because of strong domestic demand, with board crush margins averaging over $200 per tonne. There has also been a heavy export pull out of China. Strategie Grains is forecasting a total 2022-23 EU import program of 6.8 million tonnes through the end of June. Australia is expected to pick up the lion’s share of the remaining business because Ukraine’s supplies are drying up.That is not the case in Australia, where farmers harvested a record 8.3 million tonnes of canola, up 21 per cent over the previous record set last year. Ukrainian farmers are also responding to good canola economics.

The United States Department of Agriculture is forecasting Ukrainian farmers will plant 3.21 million acres of canola in 2023, a 30 per cent increase over last year. The Union Zur Forderung

“Although sowing of winter crops in the autumn of 2022 was more difficult and dangerous than ever before in the history of independent Ukraine, the (canola) area is expected to expand at the expense of wheat and barley,” it said in a recent report.

The acreage increase might also be in anticipation of expanding EU demand for the product. UFOP noted in a separate report that a policy change is occurring in the EU that will result in increased rapeseed-canola oil use by its biofuel sector. The EU’s new Renewable Energy Directive stipulates that the use of palm oil-based biofuels will no longer be eligible for climate credits by 2030 at the latest.The shift away from palm oil has already begun in France, Austria, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark. Germany is following suit in 2023, and it is the EU’s biggest biodiesel producer.

“The proportion of biodiesel from rapeseed oil and waste oils and fats is expected to climb, especially at the expense of palm oil,” stated UFOP.

Rapeseed oil already comprises 39 per cent of EU biodiesel and renewable diesel feedstock, followed by palm oil at 29 per cent and used cooking oil at 18 per cent. Burnett agreed that rapeseed-canola oil demand is likely on the rise in the EU, especially with Germany moving away from palm oil. However, he noted that Indonesia and Malaysia are fighting the EU’s ban on palm oil. He also mentioned that some of palm oil’s lost market share will likely go to cheaper feedstocks like used cooking oil.

Provincial news in brief

Food Security Supports

New regional food hubs are planned in northern B.C. as part of a $200-million provincial announcement this month to improve food security in the province. Among new initiatives is funding for United Way BC to expand its food hub program outside the Lower Mainland and Okanagan, where 20 regional centres are providing food to underserved communities.

“No one should have to go to bed worrying about how they will get their next meal or feed their families,” said United Way CEO Michael McKnight in a statement. “We will work closely with local food banks, Indigenous organizations and communities, and other social service agencies to help our friends and neighbours in need.”

Other initiatives announced by the agriculture ministry March 7 include news programs and grants for food production, infrastructure, and emergency planning, as well as funds for Food Banks BC and flood mitigation for farmers in the Fraser Valley.

ANIMAL DISEASE PROTECTION

Farmers in the North Peace can expect some help from the provincial government when it comes to mitigating animal diseases such as avian influenza. The agriculture ministry says it’s investing $5 million to assist farmers with numerous activities that include business planning, research, biosecurity measures, and equipment needed in order to respond to a disease outbreak.

The funding is part of a larger $200 million investment in food security initiatives across the province. “The investment will provide B.C. farmers and ranchers with the support to plan and respond quicker and better to disease outbreaks,” said minister Pam Alexis.

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, an estimated 3.6 million birds in B.C. are thought to be impacted by the avian influenza virus. The last reported case in the B.C. Peace was on June 1, 2022, at a noncommercial, non-poultry farm. The funding is also aimed at preventing outbreaks of swine fever and footand-mouth disease. No cases of African swine fever have been reported in Canada, according to the food inspection agency.

FAMILIES SEE BENEFITS TOP UP

Fort St. John families with kids will see a permanent 10% increase in their BC Family Benefits starting this summer. Come July, parents will receive up to $1,750 for their first child, $1,100 for their second, and $900 for every subsequent child per year, according to the finance ministry. Single parents will see up to an extra $500 on top of the 10% increase, the ministry says.

“While global inflation is stretching most household budgets, it can be really hard to make ends meet,” said minister Katrine Conroy.

A family’s eligibility will be based on their income as well as number of children. The province says temporary top-ups to benefit payments at the start of the year will end in March, and have provided an extra $350 for a family with two children.