Canadian pork shippers will comply with Russia’s new zero-tolerance requirement for the feed additive ractopamine in meat shipments, Canada Pork International said Wednesday. In a letter to Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (VPSS), the industry group said that, as of Dec. 7, all Canadian pork exports destined for Russia are being tested […] Read more
Pork shippers to meet Russia’s new requirement
Canada not changing tests for meat exports to Russia
Canada is not developing new tests for the feed additive ractopamine in beef and pork exports to Russia, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said on Tuesday, but is leaving shippers to take their own steps to satisfy the new Russian requirement for zero residue. The Canada Pork International marketing group said Friday that the Canadian Food […] Read more
Record-high soybean crop forging path to China
Canadian soybeans are forging a path to China, the world’s top buyer, as Canada’s relatively small production creeps across the country’s western growing belt and establishes a modest niche in global trade in the crop. Total Canadian soybean exports amounted to 868,300 tonnes from August through October — the first three months of the 2012-13 […] Read more
Cattle prices recover after XL’s reopening
Western Canadian prices for slaughter-ready cattle have recovered to hit the year’s high, after bottoming out this autumn when the discovery of tainted meat forced the temporary shutdown of the XL Foods beef-packing plant. Canadian government authorities allowed the XL plant at Brooks, Alta. to reopen in late October. It was closed for about a […] Read more
PotashCorp sees ‘lots of hurdles’ to takeover of ICL
PotashCorp, the world’s biggest potash producer by capacity, sees "lots of hurdles" to its plans to take over Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL), an executive of the Saskatchewan fertilizer company said Wednesday. "We just think the possibility of that transaction and what it can do for us in a soft market, and in a strong market, […] Read more
U.S. wheat little changed before holiday
U.S. wheat ended nearly flat on Wednesday as concerns about dry conditions underpinned the market, but corn and soybeans slid in choppy trading the day before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Trading was light ahead of the break, leaving markets vulnerable to sudden changes. "In a thin market like this you can push it down a […] Read more
U.S. corn notches third straight gain
Chicago corn climbed to its third straight gain on Tuesday, boosted by tight cash markets and technical buying, and wheat followed on deepening concerns about dry crop conditions. Soybeans turned higher after early losses, aided by short-covering and cuts to South American crop forecasts. Tight corn cash markets, due to limited farmer selling of newly […] Read more
Agrium sees owning Viterra farm stores early next year
Calgary fertilizer giant Agrium expects to close its $575 million purchase of farm retail stores from grain handler Viterra in the first quarter of 2013, after Glencore completes its takeover of Viterra, Agrium CEO Mike Wilson said Wednesday. Swiss commodity firm Glencore International’s takeover of Viterra has been delayed until as late as Dec. 10 […] Read more
Prairie farmers tiptoe in wheat market, sell canola briskly
Canadian farmers are keeping their bins of newly harvested wheat locked as they cautiously ponder their first sales outside a marketing monopoly since the Second World War — while strong demand has pried much of this year’s disappointing canola crop off farms. Farmers have only sold an estimated 20 to 35 per cent of the […] Read more
Canada sees no link between Viterra, Nexen approvals
The Chinese government is treating its role in potential takeovers of two Canadian companies separately, and is not linking them in order to pressure Ottawa to approve a deal between China’s CNOOC Ltd. and Canadian oil producer Nexen Inc., Canada’s agriculture minister said on Tuesday. Approval from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) under Chinese anti-monopoly […] Read more