Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Brazil’s meat exports have fallen sharply since a police investigation into alleged bribery of food-sanitation inspectors in the world’s top beef and poultry exporter sparked a wave of trade bans, an industry group said on Friday. Import restrictions by several key importers of Brazilian meat, ranging from China to Europe, […] Read more

‘Operation Weak Flesh’ takes bite out of Brazil’s meat exports

JBS suspends Brazil beef output amid import bans
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s JBS SA, the world’s biggest meatpacking company, announced on Thursday it had suspended beef production at 33 of its 36 Brazilian plants amid the corruption scandal that has caused some of the country’s biggest export markets to ban Brazilian meats. Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said a police investigation, which […] Read more

Beef makes the cut as Australia, China move to boost trade
Sydney | Reuters — Australia and China are expected to sign new bilateral agreements on beef exports, energy and security during a four-day visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang that began on Thursday. Li, the first sitting Chinese premier to visit Australia in 11 years, was welcomed to parliament in Canberra by Prime Minister Malcolm […] Read more

Brazil beef scandal leaves fewer options for global buyers
Chicago | Reuters –– Global beef buyers will likely need to cobble together supplies from several nations if a scandal persists in Brazil’s meat sector because supply constraints and politics are already limiting trade flows, market analysts said Monday. China suspended imports of all meat products from Brazil, the world’s top beef exporter, as a […] Read more

JBS sees margins up in 2017 as feed, cattle costs fall
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian meatpacking giant JBS SA expects profit margins to improve over the course of this year, CEO Wesley Batista said on Tuesday, as lower cattle and feed costs and healthier markets ease the pressures that hurt 2016 results. JBS shares rose two per cent in Sao Paulo despite lower-than-expected earnings […] Read more

Guenther: Canada’s beef export sector waiting, watching
As speculation swirls around U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to renegotiate NAFTA, officials with Canada’s beef industry are taking a measured approach. They’re not ignoring the possibility of trade disruptions in the U.S., said Ryder Lee, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association — “but neither are we lighting our hair on fire yet at each […] Read more

Future for cattle producers looks bright, says CCA
Reading Time: < 1 minute China’s decision to allow bone-in Canadian beef from cattle under 30 months of age is another positive sign for the industry, says the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. The move, expected to boost exports by $10 million per year, and the recent expansion of access to Mexico and Taiwan is increasing opportunities for Canadian beef producers, said […] Read more

Canadian beef follows tricky paths to international markets
CNS Canada — Canadian beef continues to find its way to markets around the world, but while a new deal with Mexico has brought smiles to the cattle industry, questions remain surrounding Canada’s proposed trade deal with the European Union. Britain’s recent referendum to exit the European Union has thrown into question whether the Comprehensive […] Read more

Mexico to accept OTM Canadian beef this fall
Mexico will resume “fully normalized” trade in beef products with Canada starting Oct. 1, accepting imports of Canadian beef from cattle over 30 months old (OTMs). The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Canadian Meat Council announced the move in separate releases Tuesday, following a joint statement by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Prime Minister Justin […] Read more

R-CALF’s USDA lawsuit takes aim at Canadian beef
Protectionist ranchers’ group says checkoffs promote ‘less safe and less wholesome’ imported beef
Reading Time: 3 minutes A group of cattle ranchers is suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claiming their checkoff dollars are being used to promote Canadian and other imported beef. The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America — best known as R-CALF — also claims imported beef is “less safe and less wholesome.” But the lawsuit filed […] Read more