MarketsFarm — The slowing pace of Canadian canola exports, linked to the country’s trade dispute with China, saw the U.S. Department of Agriculture lower its forecast for Canadian canola exports in the current 2018-19 marketing year. In its latest Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade report, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said actual Canadian exports could end […] Read more

USDA lowers Canadian canola export forecast

Canada looks at fresh tariffs on U.S. goods
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada is looking at ways to boost the effectiveness of its retaliatory tariffs against the United States, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday, but did not address remarks by a senior official who revealed what Ottawa might do. Canada imposed tariffs on $16.6 billion worth of U.S. exports in May […] Read more

French rapeseed farmers destroy 18,000 hectares over GMO risk
Paris | Reuters — French farmers destroyed a total of 18,000 hectares of rapeseed, more than double the area initially expected, following the discovery of a non-authorized genetically modified organism (GMO) in seeds, German group Bayer said on Friday. Bayer had announced in February that farmers in France and Germany were turning over thousands of […] Read more

U.S. grains: Trade hopes spur gains in soy futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed for the third time in four sessions on Thursday, supported by a better-than-expected export report and hopes for a trade deal with China, traders said. Corn futures also closed in positive territory, with more rain in the U.S. Midwest sparking fresh concerns about planting delays in key […] Read more

China has not escalated canola seed dispute with Canada, Ottawa says
Ottawa | Reuters — China has not escalated a dispute with Canada over the export of canola seeds and comments by the Canadian farm minister on the matter have been misunderstood, an agriculture ministry official said on Wednesday. China — embroiled in a major diplomatic dispute with Ottawa — has blocked imports from two major […] Read more

Canada to set up working group for China canola push
Canola industry stakeholders and provincial officials are to join federal officials in a co-ordinated push to resolve China’s issues with Canadian canola, cabinet ministers said Monday. Speaking Monday in Ottawa, Canada’s Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr said they’ve set up a new working group including representatives from the Canola […] Read more

Malt barley acreage predicted to increase
MarketsFarm — Industry experts expect malt barley acreage in Western Canada to increase by about five per cent this year, supported by strong prices for both feed and malt. “All indications suggest we’ll see an increase in malt barley, as well as feed,” confirmed Peter Watts of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre. In light […] Read more

Canada takes tougher line with China over canola ban, demands evidence
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada on Thursday took a notably tougher line with China over its ban on Canadian imports of canola seed, saying Beijing had provided no scientific evidence to justify the move and was hurting its own reputation. China, citing the discovery of pests, expanded its ban on canola seed imports on Tuesday […] Read more

Swine fever in China poses risks, rewards for Canadian pork
MarketsFarm — Sharp losses in China’s hog herd due to African swine fever (ASF) are underpinning the North American pork market and could create export opportunities for Canada — if this country manages to stay disease-free. ASF does not affect humans, but the highly viral disease is nearly 100 per cent fatal for hogs with […] Read more

China’s block on canola seen as blowback from diplomatic spat
Montreal — Canola industry leaders attending the first Canadian Crops Convention here this week say they don’t know why China has abruptly blocked imports of Canadian canola from Richardson International, Canada’s biggest grain company. But according to a senior Richardson official it’s in retaliation to the diplomatic spat between China and Canada over the arrest […] Read more