London | Reuters — British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens designed to be totally resistant to flu in a new approach to trying to stop the next deadly human pandemic. The first of the transgenic chicks will be hatched later this year at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said Wendy […] Read more
Gene-edited chickens planned in bid to halt next pandemic
Maple Leaf to consolidate Ontario poultry processing
A new $660 million plant at London, Ont. will house Maple Leaf Foods’ Ontario fresh poultry processing operations by mid-2021 as the food processing firm prepares to shut three older facilities. Toronto-based Maple Leaf announced Monday it will build a 640,000-square foot plant at London, billed as “one of the most technologically advanced poultry-processing plants […] Read more
JBS posts narrower-than-expected quarterly loss
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil-based food company JBS SA on Tuesday posted a narrower than expected quarterly loss on the back of a strong performance by its Seara processed foods and Brazil beef divisions, and resilience in certain of its U.S. operations. Seara booked net sales of 4.9 billion reais (C$1.72 billion) last quarter, […] Read more
Outrage, acceptance greet Son of NAFTA
Responses from Canada’s farm sectors range from acceptance to anger as concessions and market access granted under the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) come into clearer view. Dairy: ‘Who needs an enemy?’ The new agreement, announced Sunday and dubbed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by the U.S. government, is expected to […] Read more
Olymel to pick up Ontario chicken processor Pinty’s
The meat packing arm of agrifood co-operative La Coop federee is set to boost its stakes in the Ontario packaged chicken and appetizer markets with a deal for Pinty’s Delicious Foods. Olymel announced Thursday it will buy Burlington, Ont.-based Pinty’s, including its three southern Ontario chicken slaughter and processing operations at Port Colborne, Paris and […] Read more
Chickens culled as Brazil truckers disrupt commodity exports
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Striking truckers in Brazil have disrupted supply and exports of farm produce from one of the world’s agricultural commodity powerhouses. Brazil is the top global exporter of soybeans, sugar, coffee and chickens. The strike over high fuel prices has paralyzed Latin America’s largest economy, emptied Brazilian roadways and left major […] Read more
Heritage chicken program at the U of A continues to grow
Program brings heritage genetics into small flocks and supports university’s breeding efforts
Reading Time: 2 minutes The eggs came first, but the chickens are really coming on strong for the University of Alberta’s heritage breed program. The Poultry Research Centre’s ‘Adopt a Hen’ program has been running for many years and is an unqualified hit. Starting with 175 supporters, there are now 504 participants in the Edmonton area, and a waiting […] Read more
Cargill to replace chicken plant’s stunning system
Agrifood firm Cargill has budgeted $22 million to swap out an electric stunning system at its London, Ont. chicken processing plant in favour of a new controlled atmospheric stunning (CAS) system. The CAS system, expected to be up and running this spring, “will help reduce handling stress with chickens, resulting in a higher-quality, more consistent […] Read more
KFC closes most U.K. stores due to chicken shortage
London | Reuters — Fast-food chain KFC said on Monday it had been forced to close hundreds of its British stores because of a shortage of chicken. The problem arose at the weekend after the chain switched its delivery contract to DHL, forcing the majority of its 900 outlets in Britain to shut. “We’ve brought […] Read more
Chicken, dairy farmers rip TPP concessions
Updated, Jan. 25, 2018 — Canada’s supply-managed producer groups warn that the new Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade deal stands to chip away unnecessarily at their markets. Chicken Farmers of Canada on Wednesday said the CPTPP deal, on which Canada pledged Tuesday it will sign in March, still includes concessions on market access […] Read more
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