Beijing/Chicago | Reuters — China’s threat of steep tariffs on U.S. pork imports knocked down U.S. hog futures prices and shares of producers on Friday, while increasing fears of hard times for farmers already facing weaker demand from the world’s top buyer of the meat. U.S. farmers have worried for months that rising trade tensions […] Read more
U.S. pork to feel further chill from China tariff threat
With sorghum warning shot, Beijing targets Trump’s core farm base
Beijing | Reuters — In launching a probe into U.S. sorghum imports, China has fired a warning shot across its top trading partner’s bow that shows farmers in states that voted for U.S. President Donald Trump may be Beijing’s top retaliatory target in the event of a trade war. On Sunday, the Ministry of Commerce […] Read more
China delays deadline for implementing food import rules
Beijing | Reuters — China plans to delay a deadline for implementing new food import regulations by two years until October 2019, a senior EU official said on Tuesday, following a lobbying effort by Europe and the U.S. amid concerns about disruption to trade. The extension comes just days before the new rules, which are […] Read more
China promotes livestock farming to digest corn stocks
Beijing/China – China wants to turn its grain basket in the northeast into a national meat and dairy production base, said the agriculture ministry on Thursday, as part of a broader plan to create stronger demand for the region’s main crops. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning and Inner Mongolia account for around a quarter of China’s total […] Read more
China approves two more GMO crops for import
Beijing | Reuters — China has approved two more genetically modified (GMO) crops for import, the Ministry of Agriculture said, the second such move in the past month to expand access to biotech seeds as part of Beijing’s 100-day trade talks with Washington. The two new crops, approved from July 16 for a period of […] Read more
China approves two new GMO varieties for import, renews 14
Beijing | Reuters — China approved two new varieties of genetically modified (GMO) crops for import from Monday, after the world’s top buyer of GMO soybeans pledged to speed up a review of biotech products as part of a recent trade deal with the U.S. The approvals of new GMO imports follow an agreement on […] Read more
Canada beats U.S. in pork sales to China – feet, elbows and all
Winnipeg/Chicago/Beijing | Reuters — Canada has overtaken the United States as the top North American supplier of pork to China as farmers and meat packers in both nations battle for lucrative shares of the biggest global market. Canada’s pork sales to China, after a sharp rise last year, exceeded those of the U.S. in the […] Read more
Brazilian meatpackers slump on import curbs
Sao Paulo/Beijing | Reuters — Fallout from a meatpacking industry scandal in Brazil, the world’s biggest exporter of beef and poultry, widened on Monday as China, the EU, South Korea and Chile curtailed meat imports from the country after inspectors were accused of taking bribes to allow sales of tainted food. With other import curbs […] Read more
China reports more severe form of bird flu, threat to poultry
Geneva/Beijing | Reuters — China is working to assess the prevalence of a new strain of H7N9 bird flu, state radio reported Wednesday, after global health authorities said the strain had evolved into a more severe form in birds. So far the variant strain has only been detected in Guangdong province, but given the wide […] Read more
Fat herds, leaner profits: For China’s pig farmers, New Year feasts bring cold comfort
Beijing/Reuters – With China’s Lunar New Year festivities fast approaching, pig farmers in the world’s biggest pork market have little to cheer. As they fatten herds to meet peak demand, a slump in retail prices and a spike in feed costs are grinding up profits. A wave of imports has squeezed pork retail prices 10 […] Read more
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