Reuters/Staff — Elanco Animal Health secured antitrust clearance on Monday from the European Union to buy Bayer’s veterinary drugs unit, after pledging to sell some products to address competition concerns about the US$7.6 billion deal. The European Commission said the companies will sell either Elanco or Bayer’s products or those in the pipeline, including licenses, […] Read more

Elanco gets EU’s conditional antitrust OK for Bayer deal
Approval calls for sale of Vecoxan brand, among others

Cargill halts public reporting of quarterly results
Reuters — Privately held U.S. agribusiness Cargill said on Wednesday it will no longer issue public releases on quarterly earnings, halting the disclosures that the company has provided since 1996. Cargill, the largest privately held company in the United States, said it will continue to publicly disclose annual revenue and the percentage of operating cash […] Read more

U.S. indicts Pilgrim’s Pride CEO for alleged chicken price-fixing
Allegations cover period from 2012 to 2017
Washington/Chicago | Reuters — The CEO of Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., a major U.S. poultry company, was indicted along with three other current and former industry executives on charges of seeking to fix the price of chickens, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday. A grand jury in Denver indicted Jayson Penn, the president and CEO […] Read more

More ‘murder hornets’ found in B.C., Washington
Findings suggest some were able to overwinter
Reuters/Staff — Officials in British Columbia and Washington state have confirmed new sightings of the Asian giant hornet, dubbed the “murder hornet,” indicating the invasive, predatory insect survived the winter in the Vancouver area and U.S. Pacific Northwest. The stinging hornet, whose queens can grow as large as 2-1/2 inches in length, could potentially pose […] Read more

El Nino, La Nina patterns not seen prevailing during summer
London | Reuters — Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific remain neutral, meaning that neither El Niño nor La Niña weather patterns are prevailing, the U.N. World Meteorological Organisation said on Thursday. The El Niño pattern brings a warming of ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific every few years, and is […] Read more

China-Australia row to reshuffle trade in bulging barley market
Gains for Canada, other exporters won't be 'magical'
Paris | Reuters — A prohibitive Chinese import tariff on Australian barley will benefit other suppliers without changing the bleak global outlook caused by large stocks and depressed beer demand, analysts and traders said. Beijing said on Monday it would apply an 80.5 per cent tariff on Australian barley imports for the next five years, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures slip as slaughter rises
CME lean hog futures firm
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Wednesday, as cattle continue to back up, despite slaughter plants’ coming back online, traders said. CME lean hog futures firmed despite rising kill numbers, as social distancing rules in plants keep slaughter below normal rates. The nearby CME June live cattle futures contract settled down […] Read more

USDA sets coronavirus aid payments for corn, soy, wheat
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers that grow crops including corn and soybeans will receive coronavirus assistance payments based on either half of their 2019 production or the supplies they had on hand as of Jan. 15, the government said on Tuesday. The coronavirus aid is the latest in a round of government payments that […] Read more

Canada, U.S. agree on extension for ban on non-essential travel
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and the United States have agreed to extend a ban on non-essential travel between the two nations by another 30 days as part of the fight against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. U.S. and Canadian officials had said last week it was likely that the measure […] Read more
![[Dave Bedard file photo]](https://static.canadiancattlemen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/11015308/cargill_wpg_logo800wide-e1589181969928-150x150.jpg)
Cargill to shut Montreal-area meat plant temporarily
Company says 64 workers tested positive for COVID-19
Ottawa | Reuters — The Canadian arm of U.S. agribusiness Cargill said Sunday it would soon temporarily shut a Montreal-area case-ready meat plant after 64 workers tested positive for COVID-19. The plant is at Chambly, a South Shore suburb of Montreal, one of the worst hit cities in Canada. Cargill said it was winding down […] Read more