pandemic Archives | Country Guide

Atlantic bubble disintegrates as COVID-19 cases rise

Reading Time: 2 minutes Toronto | Reuters — The “bubble” pact between Canada’s four Atlantic provinces has disintegrated in the face of rising COVID-19 cases across the country, as premiers in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador announced quarantine requirements for all travelers from outside their provinces on Monday. The two provinces joined in a so-called “bubble” with […] Read more

Hogs, Livestock, Reuters

Tyson suspends staff as suit alleges managers set up COVID pool

By Tom Polansek 5 days ago

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods said Thursday it suspended employees without pay and hired former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder to conduct an investigation in response to a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges managers at an Iowa pork plant took bets on how many employees would catch COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters

High food prices hurting India’s poor

Inflation pain expected to persist for months yet

By Aftab Ahmed, rajendra-jadhav November 15, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes New Delhi | Reuters — India’s retail inflation may stay elevated for at least three more months after hitting a six-year high in October, as excess rain has damaged standing crops and seedlings, while edible oils that the country imports have become expensive. The high prices are a particular cause of concern for India’s hundreds […] Read more

Crops, Potatoes

P.E.I. seed potato growers backed for lost sales, costs

Pandemic compensation plan to take applications until mid-January

By Dave Bedard November 11, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Seed potato growers on Prince Edward Island who lost sales this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or have had to store or throw out stock, can soon apply for provincial compensation. The provincial government on Monday announced $1.19 million for a new Seed Potato Recovery Program, for seed growers “who can demonstrate that they […] Read more

Dairy Cattle, Livestock, Markets

Pandemic spurs farm gate milk price hike

Dairy Commission to lift price effective Feb. 1 next year

By Dave Bedard November 6, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes With the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the Canadian Dairy Commission has set aside its usual milk price adjustment formula and will instead increase the price based on its own review. The CDC on Monday announced the farm gate price of milk will increase by $1.46 per hectolitre (100 litres) effective Feb. 1, 2021, pending approval […] Read more

Crops, Markets

Baltic Dry Index at four-month lows

Declining demand seen from China

By MarketsFarm November 6, 2020

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Ocean freight rates have fallen off of their highs of the past year over the course of the past month, but remain well above the lows hit in the spring when global markets first started reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), a major indicator of shipping rates, has moved […] Read more

Livestock, Reuters

Denmark tightens lockdown as mink cull devastates industry

WHO and ECDC experts support Denmark's strategy

By Nikolaj Skydsgaard November 5, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes Copenhagen | Reuters — Denmark announced strict new lockdown rules on Thursday in the north of the country after authorities discovered a mutated coronavirus strain in minks bred in the region, prompting a nationwide cull that will devastate the large pelt industry. The government said on Wednesday that it would cull all minks — up […] Read more

Livestock, Reuters

Denmark to cull entire farmed mink population

Coronavirus mutation spreads to people

By Reuters November 4, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Copenhagen | Reuters — Denmark will cull its mink population of up to 17 million after a mutation of the coronavirus found in the animals spread to humans, the prime minister said on Wednesday. Health authorities found virus strains in humans and in mink which showed decreased sensitivity against antibodies, potentially lowering the efficacy of […] Read more

General

Foreign worker isolation support extended

Federal program extended alongside federal restrictions

By Dave Bedard November 2, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal program helping employers of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) cover the costs of isolating new workers for two weeks on their arrival in Canada has been extended through November. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced Monday that the Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program will now run to Nov. 30, as the government […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat hit two-week lows on COVID-19 fears

Commodity selling continues dragging on grains, analysts say

By Tom Polansek October 29, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain futures extended losses on Thursday, with corn and wheat hitting two-week lows as concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic impact weighed on prices. Improving global crop weather added pressure on prices, with rains benefiting dry wheat-growing areas in the U.S. and Russia and soybean-producing regions of Brazil, traders said. […] Read more

Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices hit December lull

October crush numbers up, canola record set

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures follow beef prices, Dow higher

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