Reuters — U.S. President Barack Obama has proposed bringing together the country’s food safety operations into one agency to better monitor food quality in a move that would reshape the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The proposal was put forward as part of the President’s 2016 budget plan. The new agency would combine the food […] Read more
Obama proposes creation of stand-alone U.S. food safety agency
Argentina to restrict wheat export permits if low prices paid
Buenos Aires | Reuters –– Wheat exporters who buy the grain from Argentina’s farmers will not be issued permits if they pay the growers significantly less than the international price for the crop, the government said Friday. The announcement, by Economy Minister Axel Kicillof, followed complaints by local producers that government restrictions on wheat exports […] Read more
Husband of B.C. woman with H7N9 also infected
Toronto | Reuters –– The husband of a woman who tested positive for the H7N9 avian flu virus earlier this week was also infected, likely from a common source during their visit to China, federal and provincial officials confirmed Friday. The couple, residents of British Columbia, exhibited symptoms one day apart and likely did not […] Read more
JBS expands Utah beef plant as cattle supply squeezes rivals
Chicago | Reuters –– JBS USA, one of the top U.S. meat processors, said Thursday it will expand a Utah beef processing facility, even as some of its rivals have been shuttering plants because of tight cattle supplies. The project is notable because the U.S. cattle herd has fallen to its smallest size since 1951, […] Read more
Japan seen set to cut beef, pork tariffs in TPP talks
Tokyo | Reuters — Japan is prepared to cut its high import tariffs on beef and pork and slightly ease tight restrictions on rice imports for U.S. producers, in a rush to seal an ambitious Pacific trade deal, Japanese media said Friday. Tokyo’s reported concessions come as talks accelerate with Washington to strike a bilateral […] Read more
Hershey to enter meat snacks business, cuts forecast
Reuters — Chocolate maker Hershey Co. said it would buy Krave Pure Foods Inc. to enter the fast-growing meat snacks market, after higher demand for meat and bakery snacks hurt chocolate sales in the fourth quarter. The maker of Hershey’s Kisses and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups also cut its sales and profit forecast for 2015, […] Read more
France says EU orders repayment of $1.5B in ag subsidies
Paris | Reuters — The European Commission has asked France to repay 1.1 billion euros (C$1.54 billion) of farm subsidies dating back to 2008-2012, the French agriculture ministry said Tuesday. The Commission’s claim, which mainly relates to inaccurate declarations of farm area, initially amounted to around 3.5 billion euros before being negotiated down by France, […] Read more
Molson Coors sells U.K. malting business to Soufflet
London | Reuters — Molson Coors UK has agreed to sell its U.K. maltings business Shobnall Maltings to French grain buyer Soufflet Group, the two companies said in a joint statement Monday. The deal will allow Soufflet to enter the British malt market, the second largest in the European Union, while allowing Molson Coors to focus […] Read more
U.S. hog farmers see ‘significant progress’ in Trans-Pacific talks
Washington | Reuters –– U.S. pork producers on Monday hailed “significant progress” in Asia-Pacific regional trade talks and urged lawmakers to give the White House authority to fast-track trade deals, a sign that a deadlock with Japan may be softening. An impasse between the U.S. and Japan, the two biggest economies in the 12-nation Trans-Pacific […] Read more
Women players drop legal battle over World Cup turf
Reuters –– Players who had begun legal action over the use of artificial surfaces at this year’s Women’s World Cup have dropped their case, their lawyers said on Wednesday. A group of elite women’s players had sued FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA), arguing that artificial turf surfaces for the tournament, which takes place […] Read more
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