MarketsFarm — The hog sector has found itself caught up in the general uncertainty of many commodity and financial markets — making it more difficult than normal to predict where values could be headed. “We’re seeing a ton of volatility and it feels like we’re in a bit of transition on supply versus expectations,” said […] Read more
Hog sector to focus on margins in face of outside volatility
'Counter-cyclical' moves seen in markets
Beef sector calls for Health Canada label exception
The Canadian Cattlemen's Association wants ground beef exempted from proposed rules
The cattle sector is less than pleased by a Health Canada proposal that would put a ‘high saturated fat’ label on retail ground beef. The proposal is part of a suite of changes proposed for Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations. As well as adding a front-of-packaging (FOP) label requirement for foods deemed by Health Canada […] Read more
Icahn drops proxy fights with Kroger’s, McDonald’s
Reuters — Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is dropping a proxy fight focused on the treatment of pregnant pigs at Kroger Co. after losing a similar fight with McDonald’s Corp last month, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. “I congratulate the McDonald’s team on their victory in this proxy engagement and, after much contemplation, given the […] Read more
Italy to hold boar cull around Rome to stem swine fever
Rome | Reuters — Italy will launch a cull of wild boars around Rome after African swine fever was found in one of the thousands that live in the Italian capital and the surrounding countryside, local authorities said on Monday. An isolated outbreak of the deadly hog disease was reported in northwest Italy at the […] Read more
Alarm bells are finally ringing as wild pig numbers soar
Spread of planet’s ‘worst invasive large mammal’ is prompting action — including a controversial bounty
Reading Time: 6 minutes There’s a growing realization that wild pigs are becoming a major threat to Prairie agriculture — but also concern that a new provincial bounty could worsen the problem. “Wild pigs are the worst invasive large mammal on the planet,” said Ryan Brook, a USask associate professor of animal sciences and the country’s leading expert on […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hog futures hit two week lows on robust supplies
Chicago | Reuters – CME Group live cattle and hog futures fell to two-week lows on Monday, pressured by bearish government supply reports released late on Friday. “There’s no shortage of market supplies or beef production until the fourth quarter at the earliest,” brokerage StoneX wrote in a note to clients. The U.S. Agriculture Department said on […] Read more
McDonald’s calls Icahn demands on sourcing pigs ‘unfeasible’
Investor cites company's 10-year-old pledge
Boston | Reuters — McDonald’s Corp on Thursday said Carl Icahn’s call for the fast food chain to stop buying pork from suppliers that house the animals in crates would be logistically unfeasible and prohibitively expensive. The billionaire investor, who owns roughly US$50,000 worth of McDonald’s stock, is pushing the company to change how it […] Read more
China’s hog output recovers, drags on Brazil pork exports
China's total Q1 pork imports down 64 per cent
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian pork exporters are grappling with a drop in volumes shipped to their main buyer, China, which has increased its pork meat production after an outbreak of African swine fever in 2018. ASF forced China to cull millions of hogs and increase imports. China continued to be Brazil’s top pork […] Read more
Alberta looks into ‘isolated’ case of PED
Feed, other objects considered possible sources
The source of what’s believed to have been an “isolated” recent case of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in southern Alberta was likely either feed or some object brought into the barn, veterinary officials say. The chief provincial veterinarian’s office said it was informed by a private veterinarian on Feb. 24 of a suspected case of […] Read more
Saskatchewan to license, limit wild boar farming
Moratorium placed on any new farms
Saskatchewan is tightening its rules on wild boar farming, including a moratorium on any new farms, in a renewed bid to keep the province’s feral pig population in check. The provincial ag ministry announced the moratorium Wednesday and said it’s “developing regulations for licensing existing commercial wild boar farms.” Regulations for wild boar and feral […] Read more
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