An information label is seen on packaging for a CO2 cylinder for a fizzy drinks machine in Manchester, Britain on Sept. 20, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)/Phil Noble)

Britain tells its food industry to prepare for CO2 price shock

U.K. pays fertilizer maker CF Industries to reopen plants

Reading Time: 3 minutes London | Reuters — Britain warned its food producers on Wednesday to prepare for a 400 per cent rise in carbon dioxide prices after extending emergency state support to avert a shortage of poultry and meat triggered by soaring costs of wholesale natural gas. Natural gas prices have spiked this year as economies reopened from […] Read more

CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle follow packer demand down

Lean hog futures also lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Tuesday, pressured by weak cash cattle trade as packer demand remains light, analysts said. “The lack of bids is daunting,” said Joe Kooima, commodity broker at Kooima Kooima Varilek Trading Inc. Kooima noted packers have enough cattle purchased on negotiated contracts to meet […] Read more


CME October 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle end mixed, hogs lower

Futures under pressure as equity markets slump

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended mixed on Monday as late-session bargain buying only partly offset pressure from adequate cattle supplies and global economic concerns that threatened to blunt demand for beef. “The cattle market can’t seem to catch a break. Boxed beef has been trending down and there are […] Read more

CME December 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CME cash lean hog index (grey line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs extend gains in recovery from slide

Cattle futures follow boxed beef lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Friday extended a rebound from a selloff that dragged the market to its lowest prices since February this week, while cattle futures sagged. The hog market was due for a correction to the upside after the most-active December contract fell 13.5 per cent from […] Read more


(Olymel video screengrab via YouTube)

Olymel to close former F. Menard bacon plant

Pork further-processing plant at Henryville to shut in November

Reading Time: < 1 minute Meat packer Olymel plans to shut a pork further-processing plant it operates in Quebec’s Monteregie by mid-November and pick up the work at its other sites. Olymel, the meats arm of Sollio Co-operative, said Wednesday it will permanently close the bacon plant at Henryville, about 60 km southeast of Montreal, effective Nov. 12. The closure […] Read more

CME December 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and dark red lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hog futures rise from February low

December live cattle close lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed on Thursday, as the market recovered from a decline to its lowest prices since February. Technical buying helped support prices, while concerns about waning U.S. pork exports continue to hang over the market, analysts said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported 2021 export sales […] Read more


CME December 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Nearby hogs up in rebound off six-month low

CME cattle futures slide

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended higher in nearby contract months on Wednesday, as the market rebounded from a drop to its lowest prices in more than six months. Most-active December hogs recovered after dropping 12.5 per cent since the start of the month on concerns about slowing U.S. pork […] Read more

CME December 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs hit six-month lows

Chicago cattle futures rebound

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures dropped to their lowest prices in more than six months on Tuesday, while cattle futures recovered a day after hitting June lows on concerns about a fire at a major Nebraska beef plant. The hog market extended recent losses under pressure from concerns about the […] Read more


CME December 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle drop as fire closes JBS plant

Lean hogs extend slump

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell to their lowest prices since June on Monday on concerns that U.S. ranchers could temporarily lose a place to deliver their livestock for slaughter after a fire damaged a JBS USA beef plant. JBS, owned by Brazilian firm JBS SA, halted production at the plant […] Read more

(Sollio Co-operative Group video screengrab via YouTube)

Upgraded Olymel hog plant’s second shift begins

Ange-Gardien plant's slaughter pace to rise by up to 40 per cent

Reading Time: 2 minutes A promised second shift is now up and running at a major hog plant in Quebec’s Monteregie and is expected to eventually boost the plant’s weekly slaughter capacity by up to 40 per cent. Plans for a second shift at Olymel’s packing plant at Ange-Gardien, about 50 km east of Montreal, have been in the […] Read more