Paris | Reuters — France’s parliament has approved a bill that aims to gradually reduce the use of nitrite in cured meats and has ordered a review of the potential health risks by the end of June. Nitrite salts are widely used in cured meats such as ham, bacon and sausages, extend the shelf life […] Read more
The end of pink ham? France to cut use of nitrite in cured meats
U.S. grains: Soybeans rise on South American crop shortfall
Corn, wheat also up
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures were steady to mostly higher on Friday near an eight-month peak as some traders pocketed profits from strong gains this week, but the market remained underpinned by concerns about weather-reduced yields in South America. Corn was also steady to firmer, while wheat futures rose in a short-covering and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hog, cattle futures end lower
Prices take pause off contract highs
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog and cattle futures closed lower on Thursday, retreating as traders paused to book profits after the benchmark contracts in both markets climbed to life-of-contract highs. CME April lean hogs settled down 0.75 cent at 98.375 cents/lb., easing after notching a contract high at 101.25 cents (all figures […] Read more
No trade bans expected from Nova Scotia bird flu findings
High-path H5N1 a 'non-poultry detection'
A new outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard flock in central Nova Scotia isn’t expected to affect international trade in Canada’s feather sectors. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Tuesday confirmed a high-path H5N1 strain affecting birds on the property, describing it Thursday as a “non-poultry detection” among animals not produced […] Read more
Corteva CEO bullish on grain, oilseed prices for 2022
Reuters — Corteva expects prices for grains and oilseeds to remain high this year on record demand levels, its CEO said Thursday, following the insecticide and seed company’s upbeat sales outlook a day earlier. Global agriculture demand and prices for crops picked up pace in the fourth quarter of 2021, thanks to economies reopening and […] Read more
Canada rules out use of troops against truck blockade
More protests planned
Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian government will not use troops against protestors whose nearly week-long demonstration against coronavirus vaccine mandates has brought traffic in central Ottawa to a halt, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday. More than 200 trucks and other vehicles have been blockading downtown roads in the nation’s capital since last Friday […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn sags on export worries
Soy ends lower after volatile session
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell on Thursday on profit-taking after this week’s multi-month highs and worries about export demand after China canceled a purchase of U.S. supplies, traders said. Wheat sagged on poor weekly export data and a lack of fresh supportive news while soybean futures posted modest losses after a volatile, […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Alberta blockade affects feed grain deliveries
MarketsFarm — A truck blockade at a Canada-U.S. border crossing at Coutts, Alta. has caused some headaches for grain buyers in southern parts of the province. Since Saturday, commercial trucks and other vehicles have blocked Highway 4, a 103-km stretch which runs from the border to Lethbridge, to protest COVID-19 health measures. On the U.S. […] Read more
JBS reaches ‘icebreaker’ settlement of beef price-fixing claims
Reuters — JBS has agreed to pay US$52.5 million to settle litigation accusing meatpacking companies of conspiring to limit supply in the $63 billion-a-year U.S. beef market in order to inflate prices and boost profit. The preliminary settlement by the Brazilian company and its U.S. units with so-called direct purchasers was disclosed on Tuesday, and […] Read more
Single lanes opened at Alberta border crossing, Mounties say
RCMP 'acknowledges the work that is being done'
Single lanes have reopened in each direction at Alberta’s busiest Canada-U.S. trade window, allowing cross-border supply chains to resume, RCMP report. In response to “concerned citizens in the area of Coutts,” participants in a blockade of vehicles in place at the local border crossing “made the decision to open a lane going northbound and southbound […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
