Sao Paulo | Reuters –– JBS SA, the world’s largest meat packer, is ready to take on a slew of acquisitions next year, chairman Joesley Batista said Tuesday. The Brazilian company controls assets in the U.S., Canada, Australia and other countries. Batista, speaking on the sidelines of a telecommunications industry event in São Paulo, declined […] Read more
Brazil’s JBS considering slew of acquisitions
Indonesia’s president says country intends to join TPP
Washington | Reuters –– Indonesian President Joko Widodo, speaking after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday, said his country intends to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the U.S. has forged with Canada and 10 other countries. “We are the largest economy in Southeast Asia,” Widodo said through a translator. “And Indonesia […] Read more
China to resume imports from U.S. pork plants
Chicago | Reuters — China, the world’s largest pork consumer, will soon resume imports from 14 U.S. pork plants and warehouses, after halting some shipments last year over the use of a feed additive, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday. USDA did not provide a date on which China will resume the imports. China’s […] Read more
Mosaic lays off staff at Sask. potash mine
Reuters — U.S. fertilizer company Mosaic Co. has laid off 46 unionized workers, or eight per cent of the workforce, at its Colonsay, Sask. potash mine, the company said Friday, as producers struggle with weak demand. Potash prices have fallen in the past year due to excessive mining capacity and reduced demand in key markets. […] Read more
Meat industry braces for WHO cancer risk verdict
Paris | Reuters — As international health experts prepare to publish a report on potential cancer risks linked to red and processed meat, industry groups are bracing for a damaging blow to consumer confidence. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) gathered health experts in France this month to discuss available […] Read more
EU to resume beef exports to Canada
Brussels | Reuters –– The European Union is to resume exports of beef to Canada from 19 of its member countries for the first time since 1996, when they were halted in the wake of the BSE scandal. The European Commission said Tuesday that Canada’s action was part of a growing trend to recognize the […] Read more
Mitsui buys half of non-GMO U.S. grain, soybean handler
Reuters — The U.S. arm of Japanese commodities trader Mitsui has bought a 50 per cent stake in Bluegrass Farms of Ohio, a grain handler and breeder of non-genetically modified soybeans, the companies said Monday. The deal, which closed on Friday, is valued at about US$15 million including debt, said Bluegrass owner and CEO David […] Read more
U.S. winter weather to see El Nino’s influence
Tampa | Reuters — Much of the U.S. South can expect a cooler and wetter winter, while warmer-than-usual temperatures are likely across many northern and western states, as a strong El Nino weather pattern shaped a government weather outlook issued Thursday. More rain and snow are likely across the nation’s southern regions, extending from central […] Read more
Villagers in India kill Muslim accused of smuggling cows
Dharamsala, India | Reuters –– Villagers in northern India have killed a Muslim man for allegedly smuggling cattle, police said Saturday, in violence critics say is fuelled by the Hindu nationalist government seeking a nationwide ban of cow slaughter and beef trade. India is the world’s largest exporter of beef and its fifth biggest consumer, […] Read more
Treasury Wine to buy Diageo U.K., U.S. wine assets
Sydney | Reuters –– Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates, the world’s biggest standalone wine maker, said Wednesday it had agreed to buy most of Diageo Plc’s U.S. and British wine operations for US$552 million (C$716 million). Treasury also announced a fully underwritten rights issue to raise around A$486 million (C$460 million) to fund the acquisition. The […] Read more