A promised second shift is now up and running at a major hog plant in Quebec’s Monteregie and is expected to eventually boost the plant’s weekly slaughter capacity by up to 40 per cent. Plans for a second shift at Olymel’s packing plant at Ange-Gardien, about 50 km east of Montreal, have been in the […] Read more
Upgraded Olymel hog plant’s second shift begins
Ange-Gardien plant's slaughter pace to rise by up to 40 per cent
U.S. livestock: CME hog futures fall as pork demand softens
CME cattle down despite firmer cash trade
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell for the sixth consecutive day on Friday, pressured by lower pork demand coinciding with larger hog supplies, analysts said. The hog market also felt the effects of investment funds liquidating long positions, traders said. “We saw a fair amount of weakness. This market has been […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs hit lowest in more than six months
Cash market bearish on cattle futures
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell for the fifth day in a row on Thursday, with the front-month contract hitting its lowest since March 2 on a continuous basis. The hog market was under pressure from long liquidation by investment funds, traders said. Cattle futures were mixed, with live cattle edging […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hog futures fall
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle and hog futures weakened Wednesday, with live cattle sagging to their lowest in three months on sluggish cash market activity, traders said. The hog market was pressured by concerns about demand in China, where high prices have slowed the consumption of pork. CME December live cattle settled […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle touch three-month lows
Demand from packers softening
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures slid to three-month lows on Tuesday, as beef demand slows, leaving cattle producers with ample supply as packer demand softens, traders said. “Packers are bought for a long ways out — have a lot of inventory,” said Scott Varilek, broker at Kooima Kooima Varilek Trading […] Read more
Slaughter resumes at Olymel hog plant
Return to usual pace expected 'in coming weeks'
Hog slaughter resumed Friday at a major Quebec pork plant that had sat idle for over four months, as striking employees now return to work with a new six-year contract. The Olymel plant at Vallee-Jonction, south of Quebec City, restarted daytime and evening hog slaughter shifts Friday after “maintenance and sanitation” work on Wednesday and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle lower as beef prices cool
Lean hogs close mostly lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Thursday, on softening wholesale beef prices and a lack of supportive news, traders said. CME October live cattle settled down 1.525 cents at 126.05 cents/lb. after hitting 125.875, near the contract’s 100-day moving average and its lowest price since Aug. 6 (all figures […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle end up off six-session skid
Hogs up but still rangebound
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher Wednesday on short-covering after a six-session decline and expectations of firming cash cattle prices, traders said. However, the rally was capped by falling wholesale beef prices, with the U.S. grilling season poised to wind down after Monday’s Labour Day holiday. CME October live […] Read more
Health Canada warns people not to take livestock dewormers
No evidence that drug is effective against COVID-19
“Concerning reports” of people in Canada seeking out veterinary-grade dewormers for personal use have led Health Canada to formally advise against doing so. News reports in Western Canada in the past week have described increased demand from non-farming consumers for veterinary-grade ivermectin, whether at livestock supply retailers or online. While ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug […] Read more
Striking Olymel workers accept new six-year deal
Slaughter could restart Friday at earliest, company says
Striking workers at a major hog slaughter and cutting plant in Quebec’s Beauce region have agreed to a new six-year contract that could see slaughter resume Friday at the earliest. Olymel and the CSN-affiliated Syndicat des travailleurs d’Olymel Vallee-Jonction (STOVJ) announced Tuesday afternoon that unionized workers at the company’s Vallee-Jonction plant, south of Quebec City, […] Read more