Any food marketed in Canada as certified halal in its labeling or ads will have to include the name of its halal certifying body, starting next month. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Wednesday the two-year grace period it launched in 2014 for halal labelling and advertising requirements will end April 4. Past that […] Read more

Federal rules arrive on halal food claims

Canada presses China on science in canola trade spat
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada is urging the Chinese government to stick to scientific facts in decisions on trade as Beijing plans to toughen its standard on Canadian canola shipments, federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said Thursday. China’s quarantine authority, AQSIQ, notified the Canadian Food Inspection Agency last month that it would allow no more […] Read more

Oats’ buyers, sellers far apart on price
CNS Canada — Farmers with oats to sell and end-users willing to buy them are far apart in terms of price right now, limiting how much business is actually taking place. Major U.S. customers are well covered for the time being, “with enough to last for a few months worth of milling,” said Ryan McKnight […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat jumps for seventh straight day
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed for a seventh straight session on Thursday, the longest such streak in nearly two years, as a weaker U.S. dollar and concerns about adverse crop weather sparked fund short covering and other buying. Soybeans also rose for a seventh day while corn advanced for the sixth time […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs surge amid summer grilling questions
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures for animals set to be delivered in July and August surged to all-new contract highs on Wednesday, as investors bet on tighter supplies being available for the summer grilling season. Demand from pork packers was a bit hit and miss, said one cash hog dealer […] Read more

ICE weekly outlook: Canola recovers, but faces resistance
CNS Canada — ICE Futures Canada canola contracts managed to post small gains over the week ended Wedensday, as the market recovered off of the contract lows hit the previous week. However, former support levels are now acting as resistance, as the market finds itself in a new, slightly lower range. Support in the front […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, soy at high end of trading ranges
CNS Canada — Corn and soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade have moved to the high-end of their trading ranges, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture left ending stock estimates little-changed. “Looks like we’re still trading ranges, but we’re back up to the top,” said Brian Rydlund, market analyst at CHS Hedging. Corn […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy, wheat extend winning streak
Washington | Reuters — U.S. soybean and wheat futures rose on Wednesday, the sixth straight higher close for both commodities, as technical buying and short-covering pulled prices higher after they drifted into negative territory, traders said. Corn futures closed mostly lower, weighed down by an ample supply base and some technical sales after the benchmark […] Read more

Klassen: Uncertain beef demand weighs on feeder market
The prolonged period of negative feeding margins continues to set a tone in the feeder market. Alberta packers were buying limited numbers of fed cattle this past week with dressed sales in the range of $280 to $283, down nearly $10-$14 from two weeks ago. This appears to have spilled over into the feeder market, […] Read more

Cargill moves to cut antibiotic use in cattle by 20 per cent
Reuters — Cargill, a top U.S. meat processor, is trimming the use of antibiotics in its cattle supply amid concerns among some doctors and consumers about risks to humans from antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The company on Feb. 26 started eliminating 20 per cent of antibiotics deemed important for human medicine and farm animals from its four […] Read more