The agricultural sector is one of tremendous growth. New opportunities resulting from technological advancements, and an increasingly global marketplace, means that agricultural businesses must strategically negotiate an array of new legal issues as they bring their products from the farm to consumer. At Dentons, we help you navigate the Canadian landscape and international market. Our global footprint, coupled with our expertise on local jurisdictional matters, acts as your gateway to the world for your business.

Dentons’ lawyers provide cutting-edge legal advice for your most complex business challenges. Our full-service legal team advises clients at all points of the value chain. Whether you’re an AgTech start-up, local farm, or multinational conglomerate, we can help you find the right approach for your business. Through effective multidisciplinary collaboration and agile mobilization, our lawyers coordinate legal strategy across sectors and geography to find the most creative solutions to position your business for long-term commercial advantage.

Let our nationally-recognized agribusiness team help you meet the challenges of an increasingly complex environment. Our lawyers have in-depth experience with regulatory matters, intellectual property and licensing, and litigation. Our team has worked with some of the biggest players in the industry on matters that have defined—and continue to determine—the future of the agricultural sector. We provide timely insight and guidance regarding the regulation of non-traditional products and services, including products developed from advances in precision-farming technologies and agricultural productivity. We can help you stay ahead of the curve of emerging legislative, regulatory and technological developments so that your business can thrive as change unfolds.

Look to our lawyers for innovative business and legal solutions. We advise on a variety of agribusiness-related matters, including:

AgTech

New technologies are a high-growth area and an important contributor that feeds Canada’s food security and economic prosperity. Whether your business develops biotechnologies to improve crop yields, invents new protein sources, or employs drones and semi-autonomous machinery to make your enterprise smarter, you require effective advice to stay on the leading-edge of technological advancement. We work with AgTech and biotech companies, start-ups and research consortiums to identify strategic partnerships for research, development and project financing. Our team ensures that your intellectual assets and ground-breaking discoveries are brought to market properly by advising on licensing and branding opportunities, navigating Health Canada approvals, and protecting and enforcing propriety rights.

Corporate and commercial law

Agricultural businesses are an essential component of Canada’s economy. As the demand for agricultural products and their related technologies grows, there are numerous options for commercialization. But as opportunities increase, so do the challenges. Conflicts of interest, subsidiary management and commercial agreements can be sources of advantage or adversity. From start-ups to global conglomerates, we represent clients at all points of the product chain. Our full-service roster can advise you on effective corporate strategy and business development. We work with banks, financiers and venture capital firms to structure financing arrangements, facilitate IPOs, and identify diversification and other growth strategies, such as M&As and the establishment of foreign subsidiaries. In addition, our team has expertise in international tax, including transfer pricing strategies, corporate governance, commercial contracts, succession planning and the incorporation of agricultural enterprises. Let Dentons help you find the right strategy to achieve your business goals.

Regulatory and compliance

Agricultural businesses operate in a heavily regulated field with oversight at all stages of the value chain. Our lawyers can be your go-between when dealing with federal, provincial and global regulatory bodies. We have extensive knowledge of the legal terrain that underpins regulations administered by the Canadian Food Inspection agency (CFIA), the Competition Bureau and Health Canada. Our multi-jurisdictional team is at the forefront of emerging regulatory issues, and regularly resolves disputes related to food safety, product recalls and import/export issues, such as customs and tariffs. We advocate for clients involved in formal investigations and court actions, and our guidance on labelling and advertising standards can help you confidently bring your product to market.

Intellectual property and data protection

Agribusiness has moved from a commodity-based enterprise to one that is reliant on technology and innovation. Our lawyers advise on a multitude of IP and data protection issues that accompany scientific advancement. Our team is recognized as an industry leader in data sharing and transfer agreements, data breach management and AI technologies. We help agribusiness clients, such as horticultural producers, AgTech and biotech companies and research consortiums, protect their discoveries. In addition to advising on patent and licensing issues, we can help you develop long-term research, development and commercialization strategies to improve your competitive position while protecting your rights and assets in Canada and abroad.

Risk management and class actions

Companies in the agribusiness sector are especially prone to loss throughout the entire value chain. Low crop yields, storage and transportation issues and relationships with distributors are all potential pain points. Our team is skilled in identifying innovative risk management strategies and ready to defend your interests in the courtroom. Our lawyers assist clients with the due diligence process, structuring creative underwriting and financing arrangements, asset diversification, and market assessments. Our lawyers also defend clients in arbitration and litigation disputes arising from contract disagreements, environmental degradation and adverse exposure matters, and land rights disagreements. We have particular expertise with class action proceedings and have successfully blocked class certification on numerous occasions. Our team can help you develop the right strategy to protect your business interests.

Labour and employment

Agricultural businesses face unique challenges when it comes to labour and employment with complex and ever-changing laws and regulations. We can help you address a range of issues, including preparing employment agreements and policies, structuring pension and employee benefits, and compliance with local labour laws, designing compensation and pay packages, navigating health and safety regulations, advising on union management strategies, understanding human rights and privacy obligations, as well as issues related to task automation. We can also help you protect your intellectual property by designing strong hiring and retention policies and impermeable non-disclosure agreements.

Corporate social responsibility

As the pace of innovation grows, the agribusiness sector is increasingly coming under scrutiny from governmental agencies, community stakeholders and non-governmental actors. Dentons can help you identify effective CSR strategies for stakeholder management. We assist clients with attaining third-party certification for sustainable food products and production processes, mitigating the reputational impact of environmental violations, and assessing the efficacy of community education campaigns. In addition to generating goodwill and demonstrating operational transparency, our CSR guidance can help future-proof your business by advising on the leading sustainable practices that demonstrate your commitment to sustainability and ethical action.

Additional Resources:

• British Columbia Supreme Court reaffirms broad supervisory powers of the BC Farm Industry Review Board
• The impact of lower interprovincial trade barriers on Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector

Insights

Episode 19: Advancing superfood innovation and unlocking the power of the Haskap Berry

April 22, 2025

Canada: In episode 19, Heather Barnhouse speaks with Kiren Singh, Co-Founder of Haskalife, a Canadian company specializing in developing products from the haskap berry, a superfood native to northern boreal regions. Kiren shares her journey from a 30-year corporate career in the energy sector to founding Haskalife, discussing the challenges of educating consumers about the berry’s health benefits and its potential in the agribusiness market. She highlights the importance of collaboration and the growing support ecosystem for entrepreneurs, while outlining future plans for clinical studies and product expansion.

US administration takes aim at Canadian agricultural supply management (again)

April 9, 2025

Canada: US President Donald Trump is once again taking aim at Canada’s agricultural supply management system, a previous source of malcontent during the negotiation of NAFTA’s successor, the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), in 2018. Under supply management, certain Canadian commodity sectors—namely dairy, poultry and eggs—limit production and imports, and guarantee minimum prices to ensure stability for producers.

Episode 18: Supporting farm and food businesses through mentorship and strategic growth

March 28, 2025

Canada: In episode 18, Heather Barnhouse speaks with Katy Chang, Founder and Executive Chef of EatsPlace, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that supports farm and food businesses. In this episode, Katy shares her journey from chef to leader, highlighting the critical role of strategic mentorship in empowering agribusinesses to navigate challenges such as financial literacy, access to capital, and overcoming regulatory barriers.

View all insights for Agribusiness in Canada

News and Events

Recent Press Releases

Dentons welcomes Rick Pawluk as a partner in the Corporate group in Calgary

February 18, 2025

Dentons, Canada’s Global Law Firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of Rick Pawluk as a partner in the Corporate group in Calgary.

Chambers and Partners recognizes Dentons in the 2025 Canada Guide

September 25, 2024

Chambers and Partners has once again recognized Dentons in Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2025. As Canada’s Global Law Firm, we capitalize on our expansive geographic reach and national strength to provide a tailored experience for our clients to help them grow, protect, operate and finance their business.

Chambers Canada 2024 rankings demonstrate Dentons’ continued growth and depth of talent across all areas

September 28, 2023

We are pleased to share that Dentons has achieved a record number of rankings in Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2024.

View all press releases for Agribusiness in Canada