A Western blot analysis, used to detect specific proteins in tissue samples, is used to confirm BSE in cattle. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Brazil plays down BSE risk in suspect cases in people

Sao Paulo/Rio de Janeiro | Reuters — Brazil’s agriculture ministry said that two cases reported on Thursday of a neurodegenerative disorder in patients in Rio de Janeiro state were not related to beef consumption, tamping down fears of possible BSE causing human illness. Federal biomedical institute Fiocruz, which is investigating the possibility of bovine spongiform […] Read more

File photo of containers at a seaport in Jakarta. (Leolintang/iStock/Getty Images)

APEC ministers call for curbs on farm, fuel, fishing subsidies

Washington/Wellington | Reuters — Pacific Rim trade and foreign ministers on Tuesday pledged to sustain the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic while pursuing talks to curb subsidies for fisheries and agriculture at a forthcoming World Trade Organization meeting. The ministers from the 21 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries said in a communique issued after […] Read more

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, seen here testifying before the Senate finance committee in May, said in a recent speech that the government remains concerned over what she called China’s “state-centric and non-market trade practices.”

Chinese trade practices still a concern for U.S.

U.S. Trade Representative says former administration’s policies will remain in place but also vows to apply more pressure

Glacier FarmMedia – The United States plans to keep pressure on China to conform to world trading standards. However, in an Oct. 4 speech, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai offered few details on how she thinks China can be forced to change. “It is increasingly clear China’s plans do not include meaningful reforms to address […] Read more

CME December 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle at two-month high on strong beef demand

December hogs follow pork lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures reached a two-month high on Monday amid expectations for solid demand for beef, traders said. Gains in cash cattle prices last week helped support futures, traders said. Meat packers killed an estimated 121,000 cattle at U.S. slaughtering plants on Monday, unchanged from a week ago, […] Read more

Photo: Thinkstock

Baltic Dry Index drops to three-month lows

MarketsFarm – Ocean freight rates have dropped significantly over the past month, with declining demand out of China behind much of the weakness. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), which is a major indicator of shipping rates, settled at 3,187 points on Nov. 2, marking its lowest level in three months and well off the 13-year […] Read more


China imports around 100 million tonnes of soybeans each year to make feed for its enormous livestock sector.  Photo: Reuters/Paul Whitaker

China to make protein for livestock from carbon monoxide

Beijing | Reuters – Chinese researchers say they have found a way to produce an animal feed protein from carbon monoxide in what is being hailed as a breakthrough that could help reduce the country’s reliance on huge volumes of imported soybeans. China is by far the world’s top buyer of soybeans, bringing in around […] Read more

Beef is on display at a Walmart in Beijing on Sept. 23, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang)

Beef cattle producers ‘encouraged’ by new CPTPP applicants

U.K., China, Taiwan seek memberships; no additional dairy, feather access on table

With their exports on an upswing, the organization for Canada’s beef cattle producers says it’s “encouraged to see other countries’ interest” in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade bloc. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association on Oct. 18 noted the official applications to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) from the United Kingdom, China and […] Read more

Photo: WTO

China calls for overhaul of farm subsidy rules under WTO

Beijing | Reuters – China on Thursday called for the removal of “enormous” farm subsidies in some developed countries as part of Beijing’s push for reform of the World Trade Organization. “There are very unfair rules in the agriculture sector, and enormous subsidies some developed country members are entitled to, that severely distort international agricultural trade,” Wang […] Read more



Comment: Canada can get back to business, carefully, with China

China has gone from a gigantic opportunity for Canada on multiple fronts to being an almost perfect balance of opportunity and risk

Glacier FarmMedia – Now that the Meng-Michaels swap has taken place, is everything back to normal with China? That’s going to occupy the minds of an awful lot of Canadian farmers, agriculture industry people and food folk as we walk past the epic three-year diplomatic crisis with China. Figuring that out will take a long […] Read more