Several key trade deals are poised to benefit red meat sectors.

Trade deals herald a promising year ahead

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

The new decade begins with much promise for the North American cattle/beef industry. Several key trade deals will benefit the red meat sectors in all three countries, including developments in China and the ratification by the U.S. Congress of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). China’s ongoing efforts to fill the protein hole caused by the […] Read more

(JBSS.infoinvest.com.br)

How JBS became collateral damage in a war between billionaires

JBS now plans to tweak U.S. IPO, executive says

Sao Paulo | Reuters — A business dispute between the disgraced billionaire Batista brothers in Brazil and the heir to an Indonesian pulp and paper fortune is throwing a wrench in meatpacker JBS SA’s plans to for a U.S. listing of its international operations, such as its Canadian beef plant. The dispute stems from a […] Read more


(JBSs.infoinvest.com.br)

Chinese meat packing giant locks in JBS supply

The world’s biggest pork packer is poised to source additional beef, poultry and pork from the world’s biggest meat packing firm. Brazil’s JBS announced Monday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hong Kong-based WH Group for “supply and distribution of fresh beef, poultry and pork to the Chinese market” starting in the first […] Read more




October 2019 saw strong domestic and export demand for beef.

Beef demand should remain strong

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

How much consumers pay for beef and how much they buy largely determines the success of the North American beef industry. Beef demand at home and abroad was strong last year across the continent and should remain so in 2020. Much of the reason is that the U.S. and Canadian economies are among the strongest […] Read more


Good beef demand in 2019 supports fed cattle prices

Good beef demand in 2019 supports fed cattle prices

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the January 2020 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed Cattle Demand has been key in 2019. Good beef demand in both Canada and the U.S. has supported fed cattle prices throughout the year. Fed prices rallied again in November and early December in Western Canada. Support coming from tighter front-end supply and growing holiday demand led to a 13 per cent increase in […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Amended CUSMA pact includes anti-COOL clause

The new Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), a free trade deal set to replace NAFTA, includes language meant to block any future bids at a trade-disrupting country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law. The new clause would, in theory, checkmate a move made last summer by some Democrat members of the U.S. House of Representatives to have a new North […] Read more


The CCA wishes producers from coast to coast a safe and happy holiday season.

CCA Reports: Building capacity within Canada and re-establishing exports

From the December 2019 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

The past month has been extremely active for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). On the foreign trade front, the CCA was extremely pleased with the resumption of trade with China in late November. Following discovery of fraudulent pork export certificates on June 25, 2019, Canadian exports of meat were halted. Since June, CCA has been […] Read more

Dittmer: China back on the plus side

Dittmer: China back on the plus side

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

In the last couple of columns I had referred to speculations that China lifting its ban on Canadian beef and pork might be tied to Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s preliminary hearings in September or extradition hearings in January. After all, the alleged discovery of ractopamine residues in a shipment of alleged Canadian pork accompanied by […] Read more