Chicago | Reuters — The number of hogs on U.S. farms in the December-February quarter was up 3.1 per cent from the same period a year ago, a record high for the quarter, according to Thursday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report. Farmers added extra pigs, encouraged by less-costly feed during that period and the […] Read more
U.S. March hog herd hits record high
Officials aim to forge ahead with TPP as Canada wavers
Tokyo | Reuters — As trade officials gather in Tokyo this week to try and forge ahead with a trade pact that U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned last year, the new 11-member club risks getting bogged down by resistance from Canada. The member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), also […] Read more
Canadian pork cleared for Argentina
Argentina is now ready to import Canadian pork for the first time in about 15 years, federal officials report. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced Wednesday that access to the Argentinian market has been restored for Canadian pork effective “immediately.” Canadian pork processors had started shipping to Argentina in 1998, […] Read more
Canada beats U.S. in pork sales to China – feet, elbows and all
Winnipeg/Chicago/Beijing | Reuters — Canada has overtaken the United States as the top North American supplier of pork to China as farmers and meat packers in both nations battle for lucrative shares of the biggest global market. Canada’s pork sales to China, after a sharp rise last year, exceeded those of the U.S. in the […] Read more
‘Operation Weak Flesh’ takes bite out of Brazil’s meat exports
Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Brazil’s meat exports have fallen sharply since a police investigation into alleged bribery of food-sanitation inspectors in the world’s top beef and poultry exporter sparked a wave of trade bans, an industry group said on Friday. Import restrictions by several key importers of Brazilian meat, ranging from China to Europe, […] Read more
Hog market improving with solid exports
CNS Canada — Strong U.S. exports and declining cold-storage numbers have helped push hog prices on Canada’s Prairies to better levels than a few months back. According to the latest information compiled by Saskatchewan Agriculture, the U.S. exported 173,770 tonnes of pork in November 2016, up 13.5 per cent from 153,051 in October 2016, and […] Read more
Pork packer HyLife to enter expansion mode
Manitoba hog slaughter and pork processing firm HyLife says it’s setting itself up for major expansions of its hog finishing and pork processing capacities. The company on Friday said “steady growth in demand” for its pork products overseas calls for an investment of up to $125 million in its integrated pork operations, to start “as […] Read more
September record-large U.S. hog herd topped expectations
Reuters — The U.S. hog herd in the June-August quarter grew two per cent versus a year ago to a record high, according to Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture report, which surpassed average trade projections. Affordable feed, solid summer grilling demand and respectable U.S. pork exports encouraged farmers to grow their herds. Several producers ramped […] Read more
Hog profits disappear as U.S. futures crash
CNS Canada — A sharp drop in the U.S. hog futures over the past week is cutting into the profitability of the Canadian sector as well, with a turn higher unlikely in the near term. U.S. lean hog futures set new contract lows over the past week, as large North American supplies and expectations for […] Read more
Pork market looks to improve by spring
CNS Canada — Canadian pork prices are feeling a modest bump upward as healthy U.S. exports clean up some excess North American pork supplies. Canadian slaughter-weight prices hit their lows in November and December — and since then, they have increased about 30 per cent, according to Brad Marceniuk, a livestock economist for Saskatchewan’s agriculture […] Read more