Shanghai | Reuters — China has arrested more than 110 people suspected of selling pork from pigs that died from disease, and confiscated more than 1,000 tonnes of contaminated pork in its latest crackdown on food safety violations. The ministry of public security said Sunday the people were part of a network made up of […] Read more
China arrests over 110 people for selling contaminated pork
China bans U.S. poultry, eggs imports amid avian flu fears
Chicago | Reuters — China has banned all imports of U.S. poultry, poultry products and eggs amid recent reports of highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza found in the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday. All such products currently en route to the country will either be destroyed or returned, according to […] Read more
Cargill to shutter U.S. turkey plant
Reuters — Agricultural conglomerate Cargill said Friday it will shutter its turkey and cooked meats processing plant in Springfield, Mo., and move the operations to Nebraska City, Nebraska, and Waco, Texas. Cargill said it will close its Springfield plant, which employs 118 people, on March 11. The decision came about after Cargill assessed its turkey […] Read more
Egypt says wheat stocks enough to last until early May
Cairo | Reuters — Egypt’s stock of wheat for its subsidized bread program will last until the first week of May, well into the start of the local harvest, after it bought 180,000 tonnes this week, Supplies Minister Khaled Hanafi said Friday. Hanafi said in a statement he expected new silos to come into use […] Read more
Brazil exported 3.3 per cent more beef in 2014, industry says
Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Brazil, the world’s top beef exporter, shipped 1.56 million tonnes of meat abroad in 2014, 3.3 per cent more than it did in 2013, industry association Abiec said on Thursday. Volumes exported were near the 2007 record of 1.62 million tonnes. Beef exports by value were a record US$7.2 billion […] Read more
Korea says cattle found infected with foot-and-mouth
Seoul | Reuters –– South Korea said Tuesday that foot-and-mouth had spread to a cattle farm in the country for the first time in more than three years, a blow to authorities battling to contain an outbreak of the disease. The outbreak was discovered around half a year ago on hog farms, intensifying fears about […] Read more
U.S. allows imports of Irish beef, first EU shipments in 17 years
Dublin/Brussels | Reuters — Ireland has become the first European Union country allowed to export beef to the U.S., 17 years after Washington banned EU imports over BSE. This follows a successful inspection by U.S. authorities of Ireland’s beef production system completed in July, the Irish agriculture department said on Monday, after the ban on […] Read more
China frees prices of commodities, services in fresh reforms
Shanghai | Reuters — China has freed prices of 24 commodities and services, removing all price controls on agricultural products, among other reforms, its top economic planning agency said. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) issued a document last month, letting the market decide prices of tobacco leaves, the last agricultural product previously under […] Read more
Hong Kong culls chickens, suspends imports after H7 bird flu found
Hong Kong | Reuters — Hong Kong began culling 15,000 chickens on Wednesday and suspended imports of live poultry from mainland China for 21 days after the H7 bird flu strain was discovered in a batch of live chickens from the southern province of Guangdong. Authorities also ordered the closure of the wholesale poultry market, […] Read more
S. Korea to disinfect farms as FMD, bird flu spread
Seoul | Reuters –– South Korea will disinfect farms around the country over the new year and limit the transport of animals, stepping up its effort to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that has spread close to the capital as well as bird flu. The foot-and-mouth among hogs had been limited to the centre […] Read more