Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s been a torrent of bad news in the meat sector in the last two months. Tyson Foods reported its first quarterly loss since 2009; HyLife’s processing plant in Windom, Minn., declared bankruptcy; Smithfield Foods is closing 40 sow farms in Missouri; Olymel announced the permanent closure of its Vallée-Jonction hog plant in Quebec; and […] Read more
Inflation, interest rates, input costs catch up to meat sector
Canada's meat industry hits hard times
Industry-led code of conduct for food retailers on horizon
Fees create 'uncertainty' for producers, processors
Reading Time: 2 minutes A report from a federal-provincial working group says the retail sector has levied an increasing number of fees on suppliers, and is proposing the formation of a code of conduct as a potential solution. Canada’s agriculture ministers are now calling on industry to lead the process. They had formed the working group to study the […] Read more
U.S. requests CUSMA dispute panel on Canadian dairy quotas
TRQs improperly allocated, USTR alleges
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The Biden administration on Tuesday escalated a simmering trade dispute with Canada over dairy import quotas, requesting that the first dispute settlement panel under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement be formed to review the matter. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said its complaint alleges that Canada was improperly allocating CUSMA tariff-rate import quotas […] Read more
CFA seeks continued ag support in next federal budget
Federation also presses for Buy Canadian campaign, processing support
Reading Time: 3 minutes Federal budget consultations are underway, with agricultural groups lobbying the government to support the industry further in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Jan. 25 launched pre-budget consultations and since then, her schedule has involved several meetings with stakeholders. “We want to hear ideas from Canadians, from all walks of […] Read more
India offers to suspend farm reforms
Farmers may call off protests
Reading Time: < 1 minute New Delhi | Reuters — India’s government on Wednesday offered to suspend implementation of three new farm laws that have triggered the biggest farmers’ protests in years, which farm union leaders said they would now consider calling off. The cornerstone of the reform, introduced in September, allows private buyers to deal directly with farmers. Angry […] Read more
U.S. grains: Bullish crush data sparks rally in soybeans
CBOT corn, wheat futures firm
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rallied on Tuesday, supported by a report showing processors were busier than expected during November, adding further pressure to a tight supply base, traders said. The strength in soybeans pulled corn higher, which closed in positive territory after trading lower for much of the session. Wheat futures also […] Read more
October crush numbers up, canola record set
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Canadian oilseed processors crushed a record amount of canola during October 2020, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada. Increases were reported throughout the canola and soybean crushes when comparing this October with October 2019. October 2020 saw 931,060 tonnes of canola crushed, which bested the previous record of 899,331 tonnes set […] Read more
U.S. meatpackers try air cleaning tech after COVID-19 outbreaks
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Two of the world’s largest meatpackers said on Friday they have installed ultraviolet air cleaning equipment in some U.S. plants, as pressure mounts on food companies to protect workers amid growing concerns about airborne transmission of the coronavirus. JBS USA, owned by Brazil’s JBS SA and one of four major U.S. […] Read more
COVID concerns weigh on chicken farmers, processors
Sales crashed on lack of foodservice business
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa — Chicken Farmers of Canada say they’ve faced a “sharp decline” in sales as a result of a significant drop in food services, which represents roughly 40 per cent of their market. CFC chair Benoît Fontaine warned federal MPs as much during a virtual meeting of the Commons standing committee on agriculture and agri-food […] Read more
India to let farmers sell produce directly to traders, retailers
Current system seen reducing farmer bargaining power
Reading Time: < 1 minute New Delhi | Reuters — India is to allow farmers to sell produce directly to bulk buyers such as trading companies, food processors and large retailers, the farm minister said on Wednesday. This would obviate the need for farmers to bring their produce to India’s more than 7,000 regulated wholesale markets and let buyers buy […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
