Ottawa | Reuters –– Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday he would prefer not to apply sanctions against the U.S. over a meat labeling dispute, but at the same time warned that he would stand up for Canada’s farmers. Earlier this week, the World Trade Organization authorized an annual retaliation level of $1.055 billion for […] Read more
Trudeau says prefers to avoid COOL retaliation on U.S.
BHP Billiton to cut 76 Sask. potash jobs
Reuters — Anglo-Australian miner BHP Billiton will cut 76 jobs from its Canadian potash operations due to low commodity prices, a company spokesperson said on Friday. Work continues on sinking and lining shafts at BHP’s potash mine near Jansen, Sask., about 60 km southeast of Humboldt, according to the spokesperson. The mine would be the […] Read more
CME to revamp cattle delivery rules before COOL vote
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group plans changes to its rules for live cattle futures, requiring that all cattle delivered against the contract must be born and raised solely in the U.S., the exchange said in a statement Friday. The new requirement, effective Dec. 18, covers all currently listed trading months through April 2017. CME […] Read more
Dreyfus family members reported asking to be bought out
London | Reuters –– Members of the founding family of Louis Dreyfus Commodities have asked the majority shareholder of the commodities trader to buy out most of their stake, Britain’s Financial Times newspaper reported Sunday. Quoting sources familiar with the situation, the newspaper said the family members had informed Margarita Louis-Dreyfus of their intention to […] Read more
Argentina ag minister says grain export taxes on way out
Buenos Aires | Reuters –– Argentina’s incoming government will abolish export taxes on corn and wheat the day after it assumes office and reduce the export tax on soy by five per cent, designated Agriculture Minister Ricardo Buryaile confirmed to the daily Clarin. President-elect Mauricio Macri won the election last Sunday on a platform of […] Read more
General Mills to use only cage-free eggs in U.S. by 2025
Reuters — General Mills will use only cage-free eggs in its U.S. operations by 2025, it said on Tuesday, marking the first time the packaged food company has given a timeline for the switch. The maker of products including Betty Crocker cake mixes, Pillsbury baked goods and Cheerios cereal said in July it was working […] Read more
Ag chem division not for sale, Bayer says
Frankfurt | Reuters — German drugs and pesticide maker Bayer on Wednesday reaffirmed it would hold on to its crop chemicals business as talk of consolidation in the industry continued. Asked for a comment on remarks by Monsanto executives that the U.S. seeds giant was in internal discussions about tie-ups in the industry, a Bayer […] Read more
Syngenta reported rejecting ChemChina takeover offer
Reuters — Syngenta has rejected ChemChina’s offer to buy the Swiss agricultural chemicals group, citing regulatory concerns, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. China National Chemical Corp., better known as ChemChina, offered about 449 Swiss francs (C$597) per share for Syngenta, valuing the Basel, Switzerland-based company at about 41.7 billion Swiss francs (C$55.4 billion), according to the […] Read more
Japan, White House rule out re-opening TPP pact
Reuters — Japan and the Obama administration on Tuesday rejected calls from some U.S. lawmakers to consider re-opening a Pacific trade deal and said any renegotiation attempt could scupper the whole pact. “Renegotiation is not an option,” Caroline Atkinson, Obama’s deputy national security adviser for international economics, said on a call hosted by the Atlantic […] Read more
CP said exploring Norfolk Southern takeover
Reuters — Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) is looking to acquire U.S. peer Norfolk Southern, business news service Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Canada’s second-largest railroad operator has already raised financing and held early-stage merger talks with Norfolk Southern, Bloomberg reported, citing two of the people. Freight carried by major U.S. railroads […] Read more
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