The Maple Leaf plant in Brandon, Man. Photo: Supplied

Maple Leaf Foods spin off approved

Shareholders voted in favour of Canada Packers Inc., which will cover the food company’s pork operations

Maple Leaf Foods shareholders approved with an overwhelming majority the food processing company's plan to spin off its pork operations to Canada Packers Inc.

hamburgers cooking on a barbeque

As recession risk rises in U.S., beef demand holds up

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

The likelihood of a tariff-induced recession rises in the U.S. and worsening consumer sentiment jeopardizes what was expected to be a recovery year for food service and retail. So says Rabobank in its April Agribusiness Review. Trade disruption begins to weigh on pork values, leaving producers cautious, while milk production returns to growth while tariff […] Read more





Photo: Geralyn Wichers

China wants slimmer pigs

Chinese government cracking down on speculative “refattening” practice

Chinese farmers and small firms have increasingly bought market-ready pigs from larger breeders and fattened them in a bet on higher prices, but the government is cracking down on the speculative practice to slim down hogs and stabilize the market.




Photo: Getty Images

Pigs can’t fly: U.S. high-end livestock breeders lose millions in China tariff fallout

China has been a key importer of American hog and dairy cattle genetics, but shipments have stalled

China is one of the biggest importers of American breeding pigs and other livestock genetic material such as cattle semen. These lucrative niche export markets had been growing, but dried up since U.S. President Donald Trump started a trade war with Beijing.