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China swine fever outbreak to curb its soybean imports
The disease along with high stockpiles are expected to curb Chinese soy imports
Reading Time: < 1 minute Singapore|Beijing|Reuters – China’s imports of soybeans are set to drop as an outbreak of African swine fever hits its huge pig herd and saps demand for the animal feed ingredient, making it easier for buyers to keep shunning U.S. cargoes amid the Sino-U.S. trade war. African swine fever, deadly to pigs but not harmful to […] Read more

Kitchen scraps eliminated for pigs in China
China's ag ministry blames feeding food waste to pigs for African swine fever spread
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters – China’s Agriculture Ministry says it will ban the feeding of kitchen waste to pigs after linking the practice to the majority of the early cases of African swine fever. The statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is the government’s first comment on how the deadly disease has spread in the […] Read more

Hog industry worldwide getting slaughtered in trade war
Reading Time: 5 minutes Beijing/Chicago/Carambei | Reuters – Ken Maschhoff, chairman of the largest U.S. family-owned pork producer, has watched profits fall as trade tensions rise between the United States and China. His company, The Machhoffs, has halted U.S. projects worth up to $30 million and may move some operations overseas. Investing in domestic operations now would be “ludicrous” […] Read more

China culls more pigs as authorities race to trace African swine fever source
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters – China is culling over 1,300 pigs as authorities rush to control a fourth outbreak of African swine fever and try to trace the origins of the virus that first struck the world’s largest hog herd three weeks ago. Authorities in the eastern province of Zhejiang said they would slaughter 1,332 hogs […] Read more

China’s July grain imports plunge as tariffs on U.S. supplies bite
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters – China’s grain imports plunged in July after Beijing imposed hefty tariffs on shipments from the United States as part of its trade conflict and as rising international prices curbed buying, customs data showed on Thursday. China brought in 220,000 tonnes of sorghum in July, down 62.5 percent from 588,364 tonnes a year ago, data from […] Read more

China reports 1st African swine fever outbreak, culls 1,000 hogs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters – China reported its first outbreak of the deadly African swine fever (ASF) on Friday, as authorities in Liaoning province in the country’s northeast culled almost 1,000 hogs and rushed to control the highly contagious disease. News of the infection will stoke concern about its spread in the world’s largest pig herd, and possibly […] Read more

China signals to state giants: ‘Buy American’ oil and grains
Reading Time: 3 minutes Singapore/Beijing | Reuters –– China will import record volumes of U.S. oil and is likely to ship more U.S. soy after Beijing signalled to state-run refiners and grains purchasers they should buy more to help ease tensions between the two top economies, trade sources said on Wednesday. China pledged at the weekend to increase imports […] Read more

China retreats from U.S. sorghum probe amid global market havoc
Reading Time: 3 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China dropped its anti-dumping probe into imports of U.S. sorghum on Friday, beating a hasty retreat from a dispute that wreaked chaos across the global grain market and raised concerns about rising costs and financial damage at home. The move was seen as a goodwill concession as Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He […] Read more

China approves two new GMO varieties for import, renews 14
Reading Time: 2 minutes 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

Fat herds, leaner profits: For China’s pig farmers, New Year feasts bring cold comfort
Reading Time: 2 minutes 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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