Reading Time: 3 minutes Urayasu, Japan | Reuters — The 11 remaining nations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) without the United States edged toward sealing a comprehensive free trade pact after New Zealand agreed to amend laws that are not subject to TPP, to enable its ban on foreign home purchases. The pact aims to eliminate tariffs on industrial […] Read more
TPP talks without U.S. near final stretch
Maple Leaf Q3 profit beats on overall sales growth
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Maple Leaf Foods, one of Canada’s biggest pork processors, posted a quarterly profit that beat analysts’ estimates, helped by growth across all its businesses. The company, whose brands include Schneiders, Maple Leaf and, since March, Lightlife, said adjusted operating earnings rose to $65.15 million in the third quarter from $61.52 million a year […] Read more
Mexico considers pork in response to NAFTA produce proposal
Reading Time: 3 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexican negotiators are working on a response to informal U.S. proposals to include protections for fresh produce in the re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), two people briefed on the proposals said. U.S., Canadian and Mexican delegations finished a second round of talks last week to renegotiate […] Read more
VIDEO: Hog farmers at Ontario Pork Congress optimistic
Reading Time: < 1 minute Glacier FarmMedia’s John Greig attended the recent Ontario Pork Congress in Stratford, Ont., and spoke with the chair of Ontario Pork about the future of the province’s pork industry and what role international markets are likely to play in the coming future.
Canadian pork shipment flagged in China for ractopamine
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — A Canadian shipment of pig feet to China, produced by meat packer Olymel, has tested positive for residues of banned growth drug ractopamine and may curb future trade, Canadian government and industry officials say. China views the tainted shipment as a “systemic failure” of Canada’s program that certifies pork sent to China […] Read more
Ag groups tout potential of trade pact with China
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian ag commodity groups expect to make a case for freer trade with China during consultations now underway alongside Ottawa’s talks on a possible free trade deal with Beijing. Federal Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Friday announced public consultations, running until June 2, following last September’s announcement of “exploratory discussions” on a free trade agreement […] Read more
A sweet sweet story
How Canada's first large-scale importer and distributor of halal gummies was born
Reading Time: 3 minutes Growing up, Lindsay Contractor’s sweet tooth was finely tuned to the nuances of fluffy marshmallows and chewy gummies. But when she began practicing Islam in 2011, those sugary treats took a sour turn. “I grew up in a world full of lots of gummies and marshmallows, and I never thought twice about eating them, I […] Read more
Fat herds, leaner profits: For China’s pig farmers, New Year feasts bring cold comfort
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing/Reuters – With China’s Lunar New Year festivities fast approaching, pig farmers in the world’s biggest pork market have little to cheer. As they fatten herds to meet peak demand, a slump in retail prices and a spike in feed costs are grinding up profits. A wave of imports has squeezed pork retail prices 10 […] Read more
Olymel buys Alberta hog farming operation
Reading Time: 2 minutes Pork and poultry processor Olymel has tightened the links in the hog supply chain for its Alberta pork plant by buying supplier Pinnacle Farms. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec’s La Coop federee, announced Friday it has bought Standard, Alta.-based Pinnacle, including all its hog inventory, for an undisclosed sum. The company’s 30 employees […] Read more
Argentina pledges access for Canadian pork
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada and Argentina are in late-stage talks that would see Canadian pork exporters regain access to that South American market. Following a meeting between Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the federal government last Friday said the two countries have “acknowledged the necessary steps to complete the process to allow for […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
