Livestock origin a sticking point in Canada-EU trade talks

Reading Time: < 1 minute Rules on recognizing the origin of cattle and pigs slaughtered in Canada are one of the sticking points in free trade talks with the European Union, Canada’s chief agriculture negotiator said April 3. Canada hopes to win greater access for its beef and pork in Europe, while the EU wants a foothold in Canada’s protected […] Read more

Canada wins added canola access in China

China has softened its three-year-old import restrictions on Canadian canola, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said on Tuesday. China has approved one additional oilseed crushing plant, the 600,000-tonne CNOOC-Biolux plant in Nantong, Jiangsu province, to accept shipments of Canadian canola seed, a crop used to produce vegetable oil and animal feed. China continues to restrict […] Read more


U.S. grains fall as China growth slows

U.S. grain and soybean futures slid sharply on Monday along with many other commodities as disappointing economic growth in China triggered selling, with Chicago wheat falling the most in two weeks. Commodity markets were rattled by official data showing that economic growth in China slowed in the first three months of 2013 to 7.7 per […] Read more

Prairie floods seen crimping fertilizer flow to farms

Fertilizer makers may be hard-pressed this spring to move their yield-boosting products to western Canadian farmers during a shortened planting season, as the potential for major flooding grows. Cold weather has delayed the melt of heavy snowpack in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, raising the risk that floods in late April and May will keep farmers […] Read more


Livestock origin a sticking point in Canada/EU trade talks

Rules on recognizing the origin of cattle and pigs slaughtered in Canada are one of the sticking points in free-trade talks with the European Union, Canada’s chief agriculture negotiator said Wednesday. Canada hopes to win greater access for its beef and pork in Europe, while the EU wants a foothold in Canada’s protected agriculture sectors, […] Read more

China complains about Canadian wheat’s gluten strength

China’s state-owned agricultural trading company, Cofco, has complained about the poor baking performance of some Canadian spring wheat shipments and has suggested it may import more U.S. wheat instead, Canadian industry officials say. Cofco raised concerns about weak gluten strength in some Canadian wheat shipments last month with a visiting delegation from the Canadian International […] Read more


U.S. corn takes biggest two-day fall since 1996

Chicago corn tumbled to its biggest two-day drop since mid-1996, touching the lowest price in nine months, as larger-than-expected U.S. stockpiles weighed down the market. Pressured by corn, Chicago wheat also registered its lowest nearby price in nine months, and soybeans touched a nearly three-month low. Chicago Board of Trade May corn fell 53 cents […] Read more



China still accepting Canadian pork without third-party checks

Reading Time: < 1 minute China is not yet requiring a third-party review of Canadian pork imports to ensure they are free of the feed additive ractopamine, Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Feb. 25. But Ritz said he expects China to require third-party verification of Canadian pork at some point, as it will require of U.S. pork shipments starting […] Read more

Canola exports fall as price soars

Canadian exports of canola, a key source of vegetable oil, have fallen sharply as the crop becomes too expensive for importers after a disappointing harvest. Canada, the biggest exporter of canola, has shipped about 4.7 million tonnes of canola in 2012/13 through March 3, down 17 per cent from the year-ago pace, according to the […] Read more