Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Smithfield Foods, the world’s biggest pork processor, resumed limited operations on Monday at a massive South Dakota slaughterhouse it closed last month because of the coronavirus pandemic, the union representing plant employees said. The closure of the plant and other slaughterhouses due to coronavirus cases among employees has led to temporary […] Read more
Smithfield starting to reopen Sioux Falls hog plant, union says
Major plant was shuttered by COVID-19 outbreak
JBS reopens Minnesota pork plant to cull pigs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Meat producer JBS said Wednesday it was reopening a Minnesota pork plant shuttered by the pandemic to euthanize up to 13,000 pigs a day for farmers, not to produce meat for consumers. U.S. farmers have been forced to cull livestock as they run short of space to house animals after some […] Read more
COVID-19 forces Tyson to shutter two major U.S. pork plants
Reading Time: 2 minutes UPDATED — Reuters — Tyson Foods is shuttering two pork processing plants, including its largest in the United States, to contain the spread of the coronavirus, further tightening meat supplies after other major slaughterhouse shutdowns. The closures are limiting the amount of meat the U.S. can produce during the outbreak and adding stress on farmers […] Read more
Quebec pork plant to restart at reduced pace
Olymel plant closed due to COVID-19 cases
Reading Time: 2 minutes Olymel plans to gradually bring a hog plant in Quebec’s Mauricie region out of a two-week shutdown starting Tuesday following a number of COVID-19 cases among its employees. The meat packing arm of Quebec-based Sollio Co-operative Group announced Saturday it will resume slaughter and cutting operations at Yamachiche, Que. starting Tuesday. Nine people working at […] Read more
China encourages firms to raise pigs overseas
Officials aim to plug domestic pork shortage
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China said Monday it is encouraging companies to build pig farms overseas to plug a severe domestic pork shortage after a worse-than-ever African swine fever slashed almost half of its pig herd. China has urged local authorities to support qualified domestic firms to “go out,” and build hog farming bases in […] Read more
U.S. says it would ban pig shipments if swine fever detected
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday it will prohibit shipments of all pigs for at least three days if the nation ever finds a case of a fatal hog disease that has ravaged China’s herd. The federal government is preparing to contain and eradicate African swine fever if it spreads […] Read more
CME to raise hog futures trading limits as swine fever fuels volatility
New daily limit of 3.75 U.S. cents proposed for mid-April
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — CME Group said Thursday it plans to increase daily trading limits for its lean hog futures in April, then adjust them annually because of heightened volatility linked to the outbreak of a fatal pig disease in China. The spread of African swine fever in China, the world’s biggest pork consumer, has […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle sink on fund selling
Commodities funds take risk-off stance due to COVID-19
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell sharply in actively traded nearby contracts on Wednesday as concerns about the spread of coronavirus and its impact on demand triggered active selling by commodities funds. Slumping cash market prices further fueled the slide, with the benchmark April contract sinking to its lowest point […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle sag on weaker cash trade
Coronavirus jitters also rattle cattle markets
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. live cattle futures fell on Tuesday, with the benchmark April contract touching its lowest since late September on falling cash cattle prices and worries about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China, traders said. Cash cattle traded lightly in Kansas and Nebraska at $119-$120 per cwt, traders said, down […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle set multi-month lows as virus fears hit markets
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live and feeder cattle futures touched their lowest prices in months on Friday as traders booked profits amid fears about the spread of a new virus from China. Broad selling also hit hog futures, along with equities and crude oil as investors moved into safe-haven assets. Developments in the spread […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
