New York | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed a limited trade deal on Wednesday that cuts tariffs on U.S. farm goods, Japanese machine tools and other products while further staving off the threat of higher U.S. car duties. Trump said the deal would open up Japanese markets […] Read more

U.S., Japan sign limited trade deal

U.S. livestock: CME hogs limit up as trade tensions cool
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures jumped Monday as U.S. President Donald Trump predicted a trade deal with China after positive gestures by Beijing. Signs of cooling trade tensions supported the market, traders said, after China imposed retaliatory tariffs on imports of U.S. pork and other farm products last year […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybean futures rise as trade tensions ease
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose on Monday as President Donald Trump predicted a trade deal with China, cooling fears about escalating tensions with the top importer of the oilseed. Traders grew hopeful that the world’s two largest economies could move toward an agreement to end their trade war as Trump said he […] Read more

Japan set to grant TPP-level access for U.S. beef, pork
Tokyo | Reuters — The United States and Japan have reached the broad framework of a trade agreement, Japan’s Nikkei business daily said on Saturday, with Tokyo making concessions on its agriculture but none immediately apparent from Washington on automobiles. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reached the deal in Washington […] Read more

Japan now accepting Canadian OTM beef
The last of Japan’s BSE-related restrictions on Canadian beef are lifted as of last Friday, with the Japanese government’s agreement to allow beef from Canadian cattle over 30 months of age (OTMs). Citing industry estimates, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said the added access announced Tuesday could mean an increase of up to 20 per cent […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end mixed as market assesses trade battles
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed mixed on Monday as traders weighed positive news of easing trade tensions with Mexico and Canada against signs that trade ties with China are worsening. The U.S. struck deals last week to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle rise as Japan drops U.S. beef import curbs
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed higher on Friday, buoyed by news that Japan will eliminate long-held restrictions on U.S. beef imports, traders said. The agreement reopens full beef trade after Japan in 2003 banned U.S. beef over concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which roiled […] Read more

Japan opens doors to full access of U.S. beef imports
Washington | Reuters — Japan has agreed to eliminate its long-held restrictions on U.S. beef imports, opening full access to U.S. cattle products after more than 15 years, the head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement on Friday. “The new terms, which take effect immediately, allow U.S. products from all cattle, […] Read more

Japan beef buyers ease back a bit on purchases
Reading Time: < 1 minute After surging in January, beef sales to Japan slipped a little in February as buyers adjust to the new Trans-Pacific trade deal, says the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. An initial tariff cut (to about 27 per cent from 38.5 per cent) in the new year saw beef sales more than triple in January to 3,545 tonnes […] Read more

Pacific pact spurs Canadian ag sales to Japan as U.S. watches
Winnipeg | Reuters — At the Canadian embassy in Tokyo last month, beef promoters flew in a chef from Canada to cook New York strip steaks for hungry Japanese importers and restaurant suppliers. The annual Canadian beef buffet reception attracted 126 people, up sharply from the usual 30 to 40. A trade deal among Pacific […] Read more