Workers sort cuts of fresh pork in a processing plant of pork producer WH Group in Zhengzhou in China’s Henan province in this file photo, taken through glass, from Nov. 24, 2017. (File photo: Reuters/Dominique Patton)

U.S. seizes pork from China on swine fever concerns

Washington | Reuters — U.S. border agents have seized around one million pounds of pork from China, a spokesman for the agency said on Friday, over suspicions that it might contain African swine flu disease which has hit Chinese pork output. Federal agents have seized the supplies over the past week in New York. “The […] Read more

Plants on a coca plantation in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada. (James Wagstaff/iStock/Getty Images)

Colombian president defends use of glyphosate on coca crops

Bogota | Reuters — A judicial ban on aerial spraying of glyphosate herbicide to eliminate coca crops should be modified, Colombia’s President Ivan Duque said on Thursday, because expansion of the crop since the ban threatens peace efforts. The Andean country suspended aerial fumigation of coca, the raw ingredient in cocaine, with the Monsanto herbicide […] Read more



A beagle. (BPretorius/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. to train more beagles to sniff out swine fever

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government will increase the number of dogs used to sniff out illegal pork products at airports and seaports in an effort to keep out a contagious hog disease that has spread across Asia and Europe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The disease, African swine fever, can […] Read more


Chickpeas. (CalypsoArt/iStock/Getty Images)

India to reimburse freight for some ag exports

New Delhi | Reuters — India will provide federal support for the transportation of some farm products to make Indian goods more competitive in foreign markets, the government said in a statement Tuesday. The scheme will be applicable for a year, to March 2020. The government will reimburse the freight paid by Indian exporters through […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf profit misses estimates on weak pork prices

Reuters — Packaged meat producer Maple Leaf Foods missed analysts’ estimates for quarterly profit on Thursday, as weak pork prices offset growth in its prepared meats business. Pork prices have taken a beating from the Sino-U.S. trade war, with China’s retaliatory tariffs affecting demand from the South Asian country, which is the world’s biggest pork […] Read more


rr(Screengrab from Manitoba Harvest corporate video via YouTube)

Tilray to buy hemp food maker Manitoba Harvest

Reuters — Shares of cannabis firm Tilray Inc. rose as much as seven per cent on Wednesday after announcing a deal to buy hemp food maker Manitoba Harvest for up to $419 million as it seeks to gain a foothold in the lucrative business. The deal comes after the U.S. farm bill, which legalized commercial […] Read more