Sellers of soybeans, peas and pork are reporting paperwork and shipment delays. Canada’s farm-value growth rate could fall to 3.0 per cent in 2019, down from 6.6 per cent in 2018, according to Farm Credit Canada. (CBC, Bloomberg)

Talking point: This latest round of food product problems suggests diplomatic relations between Canada and China continue to deteriorate. China has already blocked Canadian canola. The next major test will be the Chinese government’s reaction to the legal process in Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s extradition to the U.S.; her December 2018 arrest in Vancouver touched off this dispute. The next court date is May 8, when a judge will determine a hearing date. Tech companies could be spared from China’s retaliatory tactics, because the trade is too small for the government to send a message by interfering in it. Agricultural products, however, accounted for $5.8 billion worth of Canadian exports to China in 2017, compared to just $649 million for all commercial services—including tech—according to Statistics Canada data.