Photo: Canstock

China reshapes global meat markets as swine fever rages

London | Beijing | Reuters – China is scouring the world for meat to replace the millions of pigs killed by African swine fever (ASF), boosting prices, business and profits for European and South American meatpackers as it re-shapes global markets for pork, beef and chicken. The European Union, the world’s second largest pork producer […] Read more

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with China’s President Xi Jinping after a joint news conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China Nov. 6, 2019.  Photo: Reuters/Jason Lee/POOL

China, France sign deals worth $15 bln during visit

Beijing | Reuters – China and France signed contracts totalling $15 billion during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron, a Chinese government official told a news briefing on Wednesday. Deals were struck in the fields of aeronautics, energy and agriculture, including approval for 20 French companies to export poultry, beef and pork to China. They also agreed to expand […] Read more


Screenshot from a video posted on YouTube showing animal rights activists entering a turkey barn at the Jumbo Valley Hutterite Colony on Labour Day.

Charges laid in Alberta turkey farm occupation

A high-profile occupation last month by protestors at an Alberta Hutterite colony’s turkey farm has led to criminal charges against four people. RCMP on Wednesday announced charges of one count each of break and enter to commit mischief for a 46-year-old Edmonton man, a 24-year-old woman from Pincher Creek and a 28-year-old woman and 16-year-old […] Read more

Marie-Claude Bibeau, Luc Berthold and Alistair MacGregor all held their seats in the Oct. 21, 2019 federal election. (Dave Bedard photos; MacGregor video screengrab from AlistairMacgregor.ndp.ca)

Voters return Canada’s agriculture minister, ag critics

Canada’s incumbent minister of agriculture and agri-food and all three of her opposition critics in the House of Commons held their seats in Monday night’s federal election. As of about 2 a.m. CT on Tuesday, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals held onto power in a minority government with 157 of 338 seats, ahead of Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives […] Read more


Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau speaks at Cigi in Winnipeg on March 13, 2019. (Dave Bedard photo)

Future of ag policy remains unclear ahead of election

Ottawa – If polls and pundits are to be believed, Monday’s federal election will result in a minority government — meaning no single party would alone be dictating the immediate future of agricultural policy in Canada. While the true results won’t be known until Monday night, most pollsters are speculating either a Conservative or Liberal-led […] Read more

(JBSsa.com)

U.S. senators seek probe of JBS

Brasilia | Reuters — Two U.S. senators called on the U.S. Treasury on Tuesday to open an investigation into the world’s largest meat processing company, Brazil’s JBS S.A. , due to alleged ties with the Venezuelan government of leftist President Nicolas Maduro. President Donald Trump’s government has imposed sanctions on dozens of top Venezuelan officials […] Read more





Alberta Premier Jason Kenney steps up to speak at Jumbo Valley Hutterite Colony on Oct. 3, 2019. (Video screengrab from Alberta.ca via YouTube)

Alberta proposes heavier penalties for on-farm trespassing

Alberta’s government proposes to discourage future on-farm protests — events in the style of an occupation held early last month at an Alberta Hutterite colony’s turkey farm — on pain of new penalties. Speaking Thursday at the Jumbo Valley colony near Fort Macleod, Premier Jason Kenney, Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer and Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Cargill’s quarterly profit up on beef, egg demand

Chicago | Reuters — Global commodities trader Cargill reported a three per cent increase in adjusted quarterly profit on Thursday, citing strong consumer demand for meat and eggs in North America and growth in its animal nutrition businesses. Cargill, the largest privately held U.S. company, said its adjusted operating earnings rose to $908 million in […] Read more