Brisbane | Reuters –– The World Trade Organization said Friday there was a “high probability” that a major deal on streamlining global customs rules will be implemented within two weeks after India and the U.S. overcame a key impasse. “I would say that we have a high probability that the Bali package will be implemented […] Read more

WTO sees global trade pact within two weeks

Condo developer to ship canola oil to China, Canada says
Winnipeg | Reuters — A condominium developer has signed a $1 billion deal to export Canadian canola oil to China, according to the Canadian government. The deal was one of more than 20 commercial agreements signed during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to China, which wrapped up this week. The government said on its website […] Read more

Australia, China on track to sign lucrative cattle deal
Sydney / Reuters – Australia will export up to 1 million head of cattle a year to China, worth around A$1 billion ($856 million), to meet booming demand for red meat under a long-awaited deal set to be signed shortly, Australian officials said on Friday. Shipping live animals from Australia to China has been discussed for many years. Official talks began […] Read more
U.S. weather forecaster slightly reduces El Nino outlook
New York / Reuters – The U.S. weather forecaster on Thursday projected a 58 percent chance of El Nino developing during the Northern Hemisphere winter, reducing its outlook for the likelihood of the weather phenomenon in its monthly report.The Climate Prediction Center, an agency of the National Weather Service, said the most recent atmosphere and ocean […] Read more
EU rapeseed crop forecast at new record
Reuters — Crop consultancy Strategie Grains has raised its estimate of the 2014 rapeseed harvest in the European Union to a record 24.0 million tonnes, from 23.8 million last month, mainly due to a rise in yields in Germany, the UK and the Czech Republic. It is the fifth time in a row that the […] Read more
Strike averted on St. Lawrence Seaway
Reuters — The union that represents workers along the St. Lawrence Seaway has agreed to take a contract dispute to arbitration, avoiding a strike that would have shut the waterway linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The union, Unifor, announced the news in a statement on Sunday evening. It had previously set a […] Read more
Agco posts lower profit on falling crop prices
Reuters — Agco Corp. posted a lower quarterly profit Tuesday as growers around the globe, faced with falling prices for farm commodities, purchased fewer tractors and harvesters. The company, which makes equipment sold under the Challenger, Fendt, Massey Ferguson and Valtra brand names, reported a third-quarter net profit of $65 million, down from $125.2 million […] Read more

Dreyfus’ Sask. canola plant offline indefinitely
Reuters — A canola-crushing plant owned by the Canadian unit of global grain trader Louis Dreyfus will be offline indefinitely after an explosion and fire on Friday, the company said. Firefighters are investigating the cause of the blast at the Yorkton, Sask. plant, and an assessment of the structural condition of a canola meal storage […] Read more
ICE Canada canola drops following cash market sales
ICE Canada canola futures eased in early trading on Wednesday, pressured by some recent farmer sales, traders said. * Losses in U.S. soybean futures added further pressure to the market. * A weaker Canadian dollar, which boosts export interest, kept declines in check. * Scouts on Cereal’s North America Canadian crop tour found some spring […] Read more
U.S. appeals court upholds federal meat labelling regulation
A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday rejected a food industry challenge to a federal rule concerning labelling requirements for meat, marking a potential setback for other businesses fighting federal regulations on free-speech grounds. For the second time, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the 2013 regulation could be enforced. […] Read more