Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures surged on Wednesday as concerns about the spread of African swine fever, particularly in China, fueled buying that took some contracts up by as much as their daily trading limits. Additional support in actively traded December futures stemmed from the contract’s discount to cash hog […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end limit-up on African swine fever jitters
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures slip from two-week high; hog futures firm
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures eased on Tuesday, retreating from a two-week high hit on Monday on a round of profit taking, traders said. Hog futures were higher, supported by a U.S. government report released after the close on Monday that showed supplies were tighter than expected. The most active December […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures rebound on supply reports
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle and hog futures rose on Monday, bouncing back from Friday’s decline as traders digested government reports that showed supplies, while remaining abundant, were less than expected. Concerns about the spread of African swine fever in China added support. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Monday reported that beef in cold […] Read more
Pork producers need to be on guard for African swine fever
The disease is ravaging herds in China and Europe, and could come here through infected feed ingredients
Reading Time: 3 minutes African swine fever hasn’t been found in North America, but pork producers still have reason to be concerned. “If we get it, we cannot control the spread and the whole population will be destroyed by it,” said Javier Bahamon, quality assurance and production manager with Alberta Pork. “Pretty much the whole population of animals needs […] Read more
U.S. farmers, government fight risk of African swine fever
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. hog farmers are ramping up safety procedures and leaving animal-feed ingredients imported from China in storage in an attempt to keep out a highly contagious swine disease that is sweeping through Asia and Europe. U.S. government officials said in interviews on Friday they are also increasing their ability to test […] Read more
CAQ taps businessman as Quebec’s new ag minister
Quebec’s new governing party has turned to one of its more experienced MNAs to handle the farm file. Premier Francois Legault on Thursday named Andre Lamontagne, a businessman and former supermarket owner and the MNA for the southwestern riding of Johnson, as his minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, and as minister responsible for the […] Read more
China culls 200,000 pigs due to African swine fever – official
China | Reuters – China, the world’s top pork producer, has culled 200,000 pigs so far following outbreaks of highly contagious African swine fever in the country, a Chinese animal health official said on Friday. While that represents only a tiny portion of the nearly 700 million pigs slaughtered in China each year for sale as pork, restrictions […] Read more
Fearful of swine fever, France to put up fence on Belgian border
Strasbourg, France | Reuters — France will put up fencing along its border with Belgium to prevent wild boars spreading African swine fever, a virulent livestock disease that could disrupt Europe’s pig industry. France has been on alert for African swine fever since Belgium detected the virus last month among wild boars a few kilometres […] Read more
Maple Leaf to buy Quebec pepperoni processor
Meat processor Maple Leaf Foods plans to boost its space in the pepperoni and dry-cured meats market with a deal for Montreal-based Viau Foods. Toronto-based Maple Leaf announced Tuesday it will pay $215 million, including $30 million in Maple Leaf shares, for Viau, which today bills itself as “Canada’s most important independent producer of pepperoni.” […] Read more
Hog producers continue struggle toward profitability
CNS Canada — Hog prices might have regained some value in recent days, but many producers are still a long way from profitability, according to the chair of Manitoba Pork. That’s why lenders such as Farm Credit Canada, who show they understand the needs of producers who are dependent on commodity markets, are appreciated, said […] Read more
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