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

Bird flu redirects trade flow of U.S. chicken, eggs, grains
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

Brazil fears lost market share for meat industry
Brasilia | Reuters — Brazil’s meatpacking industry has been badly damaged by a police investigation into alleged unsanitary and corrupt practices, and could lose upward of 10 per cent of its global market share, Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said Wednesday. Maggi told a Senate committee that the main concern was with the China and Hong […] Read more

U.S. grains: Crop prospects drag on soybeans
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures weakened on Wednesday, with prospects for bumper harvests in South America and record U.S. plantings weighing on the beaten-down market, traders said. Corn and wheat futures also closed in negative territory. Both grains have fallen for three days in a row. The outlook for rain in the U.S. […] Read more

Brazil ag ministry, police say meat problems not widespread
Lapa, Brazil | Reuters — Brazil’s federal police and agriculture ministry said late Tuesday that sanitary and corruption problems found in the nation’s meatpacking industry were isolated incidents, an attempt to tamp down a scandal that has led the Latin American nation’s biggest export markets to ban its meats. Since police launched raids on processing […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn fall to multi-week lows
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures dropped to their lowest level in more than six weeks on Tuesday, their second straight day of declines, as weather forecasts bolstered expectations for strong yields adding to already-abundant supplies in the coming weeks, traders said. Corn futures also fell, hitting their lowest since Feb. 1, on pressure […] Read more