Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian federal police started two separate investigations on Tuesday into suspected corruption at the Agriculture Ministry to benefit meatpacking, dairy and other food companies. The probes into whether inspection procedures were eased in favour of certain unnamed companies comes two months after the country’s meatpacking industry was rocked by a […] Read more
Brazil police probe ag ministry for corruption
Brazil police probe loans to JBS
Brasilia | Reuters — Brazil federal police are investigating suspected fraud in loans by state development bank BNDES to JBS SA, a police source said on Friday, sending shares of the world’s largest meat processor lower after a series of scandals. Separately, police said earlier on Friday they would detain 37 people for questioning and […] Read more
JBS mulls delaying IPO of international unit
Sao Paulo | Reuters — JBS SA, the world’s largest meat processor, may postpone the New York listing of a global food processing unit originally expected for the second quarter because of lukewarm investor feedback after a scandal in Brazil, two people with knowledge of the situation said. Executives at Sao Paulo-based JBS were worried […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn tumbles on weather forecasts, NAFTA jitters
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. corn futures fell more than one per cent Wednesday on forecasts for better Midwest planting weather and news that the White House is considering an executive order on withdrawing from North American Free Trade Agreement, analysts said. Soybeans also declined and wheat turned lower as corn sagged. Chicago Board of […] Read more
Bird flu redirects trade flow of U.S. chicken, eggs, grains
Chicago | Reuters –– Global outbreaks of bird flu in poultry have altered the flow of U.S. chicken meat, eggs and grain around the world, adding to challenges faced by domestic exporters and giving a leg up to Brazil, which has so far escaped the disease. Different strains of avian flu have been detected across […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Soybeans, corn watching weather
CNS Canada — Soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade fell to their lowest levels of the past year on Tuesday, but bounced off of those lows as new-crop uncertainty and chart-based buying provided support. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast larger-than-expected world and U.S. soybean ending stocks in its monthly supply/demand report, which […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn sags, soy posts longest weekly skid in 30 months
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures drifted to a one-week low on Friday as traders adjusted positions ahead of a monthly U.S. government report that analysts expect to show rising grain inventories and big South American crops. Soybeans closed narrowly mixed but the most-active contract posted a fifth weekly decline, its longest losing streak […] Read more
‘Operation Weak Flesh’ takes bite out of Brazil’s meat exports
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
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
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
