Chef Jonathan Collins cuts up a pork leg, foot included, to prepare ginger and black vinegar hog trotters in a video for Canada Pork International. (Video screengrab from CanadaPork.com)

Mexico considers pork in response to NAFTA produce proposal

Mexico City | Reuters — Mexican negotiators are working on a response to informal U.S. proposals to include protections for fresh produce in the re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), two people briefed on the proposals said. U.S., Canadian and Mexican delegations finished a second round of talks last week to renegotiate […] Read more

(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Canadian pork shipment flagged in China for ractopamine

Winnipeg | Reuters — A Canadian shipment of pig feet to China, produced by meat packer Olymel, has tested positive for residues of banned growth drug ractopamine and may curb future trade, Canadian government and industry officials say. China views the tainted shipment as a “systemic failure” of Canada’s program that certifies pork sent to China […] Read more


(Cia.gov)

Ag groups tout potential of trade pact with China

Canadian ag commodity groups expect to make a case for freer trade with China during consultations now underway alongside Ottawa’s talks on a possible free trade deal with Beijing. Federal Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Friday announced public consultations, running until June 2, following last September’s announcement of “exploratory discussions” on a free trade agreement […] Read more

Photo: Reuters/File

Fat herds, leaner profits: For China’s pig farmers, New Year feasts bring cold comfort

Beijing/Reuters – With China’s Lunar New Year festivities fast approaching, pig farmers in the world’s biggest pork market have little to cheer. As they fatten herds to meet peak demand, a slump in retail prices and a spike in feed costs are grinding up profits. A wave of imports has squeezed pork retail prices 10 […] Read more


One of Pinnacle Farms’ sow barns at Standard, Alta., about 80 km east of Calgary. (VerusAlliance.com)

Olymel buys Alberta hog farming operation

Pork and poultry processor Olymel has tightened the links in the hog supply chain for its Alberta pork plant by buying supplier Pinnacle Farms. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec’s La Coop federee, announced Friday it has bought Standard, Alta.-based Pinnacle, including all its hog inventory, for an undisclosed sum. The company’s 30 employees […] Read more

(ManitobaPork.com)

Argentina pledges access for Canadian pork

Canada and Argentina are in late-stage talks that would see Canadian pork exporters regain access to that South American market. Following a meeting between Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the federal government last Friday said the two countries have “acknowledged the necessary steps to complete the process to allow for […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf profit jumps by over 70 per cent

Reuters — Meat processor Maple Leaf Foods on Wednesday reported a 70.4 per cent jump in quarterly profit as lower costs and higher prices boosted earnings at its prepared meats business. Maple Leaf said adjusted operating earnings in its meat products unit, the company’s primary source of income, more than doubled to $65.93 million in […] Read more

On the U.S. East Coast, home to some of the country’s biggest pork production, ships carrying UK feed wheat have been unloading volumes not seen in years.

U.S. pork packing plant boom may boost hog prices

Chicago / Reuters – The U.S. pork industry could be heading for higher hog prices as processing plants come on line at an unprecedented rate with packers investing millions of dollars to satisfy the appetite of protein-hungry China, industry analysts said. Pork packers including Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods, who slaughter hogs and turn them into […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf profit beats as margins improve

Reuters — Canadian pork processor Maple Leaf Foods posted a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit as margins in its prepared meats business improved. Adjusted operating profit in the meat products group, which includes brands such as Schneiders and the company’s namesake Maple Leaf brand, was $54.6 million, compared with a year-ago loss of $19.1 million. The Mississauga-based […] Read more