Italian sausages, cheeses and other traditional foods for sale in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo in December 2016. (Florin1961/iStock/Getty Images)

Italy in no rush to reject EU-Canada trade deal

Brussels | Reuters — Italy is in no hurry to bring the European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada to a parliamentary vote, its farm minister said on Monday, suggesting its opposition to the deal may be easing. Ministers of the eurosceptic 5-Star/League government have said Italy would not ratify CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and […] Read more




(Ca.TokyoSmoke.com)

Canopy Growth to buy Tokyo Smoke owner Hiku Brands

Reuters — Ontario’s Canopy Growth Corp. is buying Toyko Smoke cannabis owner Hiku Brands Co. Ltd. for $269.2 million, the latest deal in a fast-consolidating sector ahead of legal recreational marijuana sales. Smiths Falls-based Canopy Growth on Tuesday offered 0.046 of its shares, or $1.91 per share, for each Hiku share held, a premium of […] Read more


(GeneralMills.com)

J.M. Smucker to sell U.S. baking brands

Reuters — J.M. Smucker Co. said on Monday it would sell its U.S. baking business, which includes brands such as Pillsbury, Martha White and Hungry Jack, to private equity firm Brynwood Partners for US$375 million. The deal includes a manufacturing facility in Toledo, Ohio, but excludes the baking business in Canada, the company said. “The […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Early-week cash prices buoy CME live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed higher on Wednesday, lifted by initial prices for market-ready, or cash, cattle and short-covering after recent market losses, traders said. Thinly traded June futures, which will expire on Friday, led advances. Some investors bought that contract and simultaneously sold deferred months in a trading strategy […] Read more

The Big River Resources ethanol plant at West Burlington, Iowa, about 120 km southwest of Davenport. (Steven Vaughn photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. EPA proposes higher 2019 biofuels mandate

Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed setting a blending mandate of 19.88 billion gallons for 2019 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), three per cent higher from this year’s and in line with expectations. The agency also said it is considering a number of measures to bring some transparency to the […] Read more


(Deyana Robova photo/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs bounce back on bargain buying

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures finished higher on Tuesday after short-covering and bargain buying reversed recent market losses amid trade fears, analysts said. Hog farmers in the U.S. may face another wave of higher tariffs by China, which placed stiff retaliatory duties on U.S. pork imports in early April. CME hogs […] Read more

Namdaemun, the “Great Southern Gate” in the walls that once surrounded the city of Seoul. This photo was taken before a 2008 fire damaged the gate’s wooden structure, which was restored by May 2013. (CIA.gov)

South Korea lifts suspension on Canadian wheat sales

Seoul | Reuters — South Korea’s food ministry on Tuesday said it had lifted a temporary suspension on sales of Canadian wheat as it had not discovered any unapproved genetically modified strains during tests on imports. South Korea suspended sales of Canadian wheat last week after Canada announced the discovery in mid-2017 of an unapproved […] Read more