Trucks wait for crossing into Poland at the Rava-Ruska border checkpoint in Ukraine’s Lviv region on April 17, 2023. (Photo: Reuters/Roman Baluk)

EU plans import curbs on Ukraine grain, farmer supports for border countries

Grain would be let into five countries only for export

Brussels | Reuters — The European Union is preparing 100 million euros (C$147.4 million) in compensation for farmers in five countries bordering Ukraine and plans to introduce restrictions on imports of Ukrainian grains. Pressure has mounted on Brussels to work out a European Union-wide solution after Poland and Hungary banned some imports from Ukraine last […] Read more

File photo of Canadian beef on display in a grocery store in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Philippines ends import block on Canadian beef

Ban imposed following atypical BSE finding

The Philippines has lifted the temporary suspension on imports of Canadian beef it imposed after the discovery of Canada’s first case of BSE in six years. Manila had announced its temporary ban following the confirmation in mid-December of atypical BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in a beef cow in central Alberta. Korea imposed and later lifted […] Read more


(Xinzheng/Getty Images)

New China import rules bring headaches for food, beverage makers

Cooking oil, milled grains among foods moved to higher-risk categories

Beijing | Reuters — Makers of Irish whiskey, Belgian chocolate and European coffee brands are scrambling to comply with new Chinese food and beverage regulations, with many fearful their goods will be unable to enter the giant market as a Jan. 1 deadline looms. China’s customs authority published new food safety rules in April stipulating […] Read more

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Pulse weekly outlook: Turkey’s record-level lentil imports expected to decrease

Country's domestic acreage expected up in 2021

MarketsFarm — Canadian lentil exports to Turkey reached unprecedented numbers in 2020. According to Statistics Canada data, Turkey imported 534,160 tonnes worth $355 million during the calendar year, making it the second-largest buyer of Canadian lentils behind India. Last year’s total nearly equalled the amount of lentils Canada exported to Turkey over the previous three […] Read more


The U.S. National Wildlife Health Center’s map of CWD’s distribution in North America as of December 2020. (USGS.gov)

Ontario to limit imports, transport of live elk, deer

Moves meant to keep out chronic wasting disease

Moving live captive cervids such as elk, deer, moose and caribou into or within Ontario is set to be banned under new provincial regulations to keep out chronic wasting disease (CWD). The province said Thursday it has amended regulations under its Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act that will ban anyone from importing live, captive cervids […] Read more

Beef is on display at a Walmart in Beijing on Sept. 23, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang)

China’s coronavirus testing chokes beef trade

Additional inspections, disinfections costly for importers

Beijing | Reuters — In a supermarket in downtown Beijing, refrigerator shelves normally filled with steak from around the world sit empty as tougher testing for the novel coronavirus creates supply bottlenecks and raises prices for importers. Fresh supplies of beef won’t arrive for days, a salesman at the Suning.com-owned Carrefour outlet told Reuters — […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

China suspends beef imports from Cargill plant

High River plant on long list of blocked facilities

China has temporarily suspended imports of beef from Cargill’s major beef packing plant at High River, Alta., part of a long list of meat plants blocked in the last half of June. The Reuters news service on Monday published a list of meat packing plants from around the world which during June and early July […] Read more

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Pulse weekly outlook: Levy cut an opportunity for Canadian lentils

MarketsFarm — Canadian lentils should benefit from India lowering its import levy on lentils from 30 to 10 per cent, said Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture Inc. in Winnipeg. The announcement, made June 2, was intended to reduce lentil prices in the country. India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare estimated the lentil crop […] Read more



A BASF scientist examines transgenic corn plants. (BASF.com)

China approves two new GM crops from U.S. for import

Beijing | Reuters — China approved two new genetically modified (GM) crops for import on Monday that could boost agricultural purchases from the United States, while renewing permits for 10 others, the Chinese agriculture ministry said. Earlier this month, Beijing and Washington announced a Phase 1 trade deal, under which China has agreed to import […] Read more