Amsterdam | Reuters — Shares in Nutreco fell last Tuesday after U.S. commodities company Cargill said it was pulling out of a bid battle for the Dutch animal feed maker. Cargill’s withdrawal leaves the field clear for Dutch investment firm SHV, which has made an offer valuing the company at around 3.1 billion euros (C$4.4 […] Read more
Nutreco shares slip after Cargill ends bid fight
Striking port workers in Argentine grains hub halt shipping
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Port workers in part of the Argentine grain hub of Rosario went on strike on Thursday to demand a year-end bonus, paralyzing ship movements, said the head of the powerful CGT union’s local branch. Wage increases are lagging behind Argentina’s soaring inflation rate, which some private economists estimate is around […] Read more
Russia adds rail loading to informal curbs on grain exports
Moscow | Reuters — Russia has significantly cut railway loading of grain for export, industry sources said, adding to informal curbs to overseas shipments. Russia, one of the world’s main wheat exporters, is restricting grain exports to try to cool domestic prices as the country tackles a currency crisis linked to plunging oil prices and […] Read more
China approves Syngenta’s Viptera corn: reports
Chicago | Reuters — Chinese authorities have informed some agriculture industry officials that the government has approved U.S. imports of a type of genetically modified corn that has sparked lawsuits against seed maker Syngenta, according to reports from Agri-Pulse and Bloomberg. Syngenta will make an announcement about Chinese government approval of Agrisure Viptera corn, known […] Read more
Russia restricts grain export certificates for some countries, trade sources say
Moscow | Reuters — Russia’s Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance Service (VPSS) has restricted grain export certificates for some countries, three trade sources told Reuters. Russia has been exporting record volumes of wheat this year as a tumble in the rouble makes its grains cheap on world markets. The central bank hiked rates sharply on Monday […] Read more
Russia should limit grain exports via offshore firms, ag minister says
Moscow | Reuters –– Russia should limit grain exports through companies registered offshore, the country’s agriculture minister told TASS news agency, suggesting a possible way the government could curb exports as it has sworn off an embargo. Russia is exporting grains at a record pace this year as a slump in the rouble makes them […] Read more
Cargill says will go it alone on Nutreco deal
Amsterdam | Reuters –– U.S. commodities company Cargill said on Thursday it would bid alone for Dutch animal feed company Nutreco and pledged not to break up the business to try to capture the initiative from rival bidder SHV. Shares in global fish and animal feed supplier Nutreco rose more than four per cent as […] Read more
Poland’s top court says ban on kosher slaughter unconstitutional
Warsaw | Reuters — Poland’s top court ruled Wednesday a ban on traditional Jewish slaughter methods was unconstitutional, bringing relief to Jews in a country scarred by Nazi Germany’s Holocaust. A previous 2012 court verdict had effectively banned Jewish production of kosher meat, backing animal rights groups who said it was cruel to kill animals […] Read more
Italian court orders new trial for bankers in Parmalat scandal
Parma | Reuters — Italy’s top appeals court on Friday threw out jail sentences against prominent bankers Cesare Geronzi and Matteo Arpe in a case related to the country’s biggest corporate scandal, the 2003 collapse of dairy group Parmalat. The Court of Cassation quashed the sentences handed down by a lower court in 2013 and […] Read more
More rain on the way for California, but drought may not be over
Sacramento | Reuters — This week’s California storms dumped up to 7.6 cm of rain on the parched state and more wet weather is on the way, but it is too soon to know whether there will be enough precipitation this winter to remedy three years of drought, forecasters said. Although the sun came out […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
