Tyson Foods has agreed to pay $82.5 million (C$113.3 million) to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit brought by grocers and other businesses that accused the meat and poultry giant of conspiring to inflate U.S. beef prices by restricting supply.
Tyson Foods will close a major beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska, with about 3,200 employees in January after U.S. cattle supplies dropped to their lowest level in nearly 75 years, the meatpacker said on Friday.
In major U.S. livestock regions, some ranchers have slowly begun taking the first steps to boost cattle production after the nation’s inventory shrank due to a years-long drought that dried up pasture land used for grazing and hiked feeding costs.
Beef cattle prices have trended above the five-year average, but low numbers of replacement heifers and beef cows suggests producers aren't ready to grow cattle herds.
The CFIA will no longer require three determinations of unconsciousness previously mandated for ritually slaughtered animals after a recent federal court ruling. Jewish organizations and companies had appealed the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulations in court, claiming they made kosher slaughter difficult, which resulted in a disruption in supply of kosher meat in Canada.
Nearly 1,000 unionized employees at Cargill Dunlop in Guelph ratified a new collective agreement on Saturday July 6. The workers, represented by Local 175 of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW), began strike action after turning down a deal on May 26.
Striking workers at Cargill's Dunlop beef processing plant in Guelph have a recommended memorandum of settlement in place and they will vote on the possible deal on Saturday.
Cargill plans to resume slaughtering cattle on Friday at its Dodge City, Kansas, beef plant, after weekend rains caused a partial roof collapse, the company said on Tuesday.
In a joint news release issued June 24, the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) and Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) strongly encouraged the Cargill Dunlop facility in Guelph and members of UFCW Local 175 to come to an expedited labour resolution. The CCA, NCFA and the BFO represent about 19,000 beef producers in Ontario and approximately 60,000 Canada-wide.