Brazil, the world’s largest chicken exporter, confirmed its first outbreak of bird flu on a poultry farm on Friday, triggering a country-wide trade ban from China and state-wide restrictions for other major consumers.

Bird flu in top chicken exporter Brazil triggers trade bans

Trump administration aims to make faster meat processing permanent
Agency plans rulemaking to formalize speed increases
Chicago/Washington | Reuters – The Trump administration said on Mar. 17 that it plans to permanently allow U.S. poultry and pork processing plants to operate more quickly, raising concerns among advocacy groups about worker health and food safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture decision is a victory for meat companies and industry associations such as the National Chicken […] Read more

Tyson lifts 2025 sales forecast, prepares for tariff impacts
Strong demand for beef and chicken
U.S. meatpacker Tyson Foods raised its annual sales forecast on Monday as strong demand for beef and chicken helped it exceed first-quarter results estimates, lifting shares three per cent.

Olymel to consolidate Ontario, Quebec further-processing
Chicken plant at Paris, Ont., and pork plant at Princeville, Que. to close
Pork and poultry packer Olymel is preparing to permanently shut two further-processing facilities and shift their work to other plants in a new round of consolidation. Olymel, the meat packing arm of Quebec’s Sollio Cooperative, announced Wednesday it will permanently close its pork boning and packaging plant at Princeville, Que. effective Nov. 10, and its […] Read more

JBS posts quarterly loss on tight U.S. beef margins
'Greater balance' forecasted for global chicken supply
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian meat company JBS SA on Monday reported a second-quarter loss citing the negative effects of an oversupplied global chicken market and tighter margins for its beef business in the U.S., where it gets most of its sales. JBS reported a net loss of 263.6 million reais (C$73.8 million), the […] Read more

Ukraine lifts barriers to exports of some farm goods
Export licenses were in place to maintain domestic supplies
Kyiv | Reuters — Ukraine has removed barriers to the export of some agricultural commodities, imposed last year to prevent food shortages, in a bid to boost foreign currency income, its government said on Tuesday. The country introduced export licences in 2022 to protect food supplies after agricultural production was hit by Russia’s invasion. While […] Read more

Global chicken meat oversupply improving, Brazil’s BRF says
Lower grain costs also expected to boost margins
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Chicken prices are rising as companies start to cut production to reduce global oversupply, Fabio Mariano, CFO of BRF SA, said on Tuesday, after a glut helped to push the Brazilian pork and poultry producer to a first-quarter loss. The firm posted a 1.024 billion-real (C$287.7 million) net loss for […] Read more

New report shows poultry sector burdened by expectations
Simpson Centre paper calls for increased research, financial sustainability for sector
Updated, May 17 — The Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy has released a report detailing its findings on challenges now facing Canada’s poultry sector. The report, co-authored by research assistant Shawn Wiskar and centre director Guillaume Lhermie and released Thursday, used a focus group of six stakeholders in the Canadian poultry industry. It […] Read more

McDonald’s reported laying off hundreds of corporate employees
Layoffs don't include restaurant-level workers
New York | Reuters — The number of corporate employees McDonald’s Corp. plans to lay off this week will tally in the “hundreds,” a source familiar with the burger chain’s thinking said on Monday, as the company moves forward with a previously announced restructuring. The fast-food company is closing its offices “out of respect,” and […] Read more

Bill to keep supply management off trade table moving forward
CCA, other groups oppose proposal as Bloc MP's private bill passes second reading
A federal private member’s bill that would codify the current government’s promise to leave supply-managed ag commodities out of any future free trade deals has advanced to the committee stage. Introduced last June 13 by Bloc Quebecois MP Luc Theriault, Bill C-282 came back last Wednesday to pass second reading in the House of Commons […] Read more