CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — COVID-19 vaccines are making their way into the arms of American meat and agriculture workers, but companies and union officials say progress needs to be faster after coronavirus outbreaks idled slaughterhouses and sickened thousands of workers. Vaccinating food workers could help prevent further production disruptions that sent meat prices soaring in […] Read more
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China vows action on fake African swine fever vaccines
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has vowed to crack down further on illegal production and sales of African swine fever vaccines, signalling the extent of a problem damaging the world’s largest pig industry. The ministry, which has been warning against such behaviour since 2019, said tougher measures were needed […] Read more
Fertilizer sales may set record
WINNIPEG (Reuters) — Global sales of potash fertilizer look to hit record highs this year, helped by a spike in crop prices, but cautious North American producers are keeping a lid on supplies. Canada’s Nutrien Ltd. and U .S.-based Mosaic Co. have benefited as crop prices climbed to multi-year highs, helped by strong Chinese demand. […] Read more
Glyphosate, GM corn ban lawsuits likely in Mexico
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — The Mexican government’s plan to stop importing genetically modified corn and using glyphosate will likely face legal challenges this month to reverse the proposal, according to the new head of Mexico’s top farm lobby. Juan Cortina, president of Mexico’s Farm Council, said he thinks the lawsuits are needed to get the […] Read more
Fertilizer makers ponder hydrogen production
Yara International Asa and CF Industries Holdings plan to produce the ‘clean’ fuel by changing how they make ammonia
WINNIPEG/OSLO (Reuters) — Two of the world’s biggest fertilizer producers, CF Industries Holdings Inc. and Yara International Asa, are seeking to cash in on the green energy transition by reconfiguring ammonia plants in the United States and Norway to produce clean energy to power ships. The consumption of oil for transportation is one of the […] Read more
Concerns grow about global food inflation
United Nations’ food price index, which measures monthly increases for a basket of common items, hits 6 1/2 year high
ROME, Italy (Reuters) — Global food prices rose for an eighth consecutive month in January to their highest since July 2014, the United Nations food agency said, as economies continue to battle fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, […] Read more
EU may pay farmers to curb cattle methane
Environmental groups called the proposal ‘hidden subsidies to the highly polluting intensive animal farming industry’
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) — Farmers should get European Union funding to reduce methane emissions from livestock or increase organic farmland, the European Commission said recently, under plans to make agriculture greener. The EU is nearing the end of a two-year battle to overhaul its massive farming subsidies scheme, to attempt to align the agriculture sector, […] Read more
China imports more meat
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China imported 9.91 million tonnes of meat in 2020, recent customs data showed, as the world’s biggest consumer of meat stocked up on proteins after a further plunge in its pork output. Shipments were up 60.4 percent on the year before and came after China’s output of pork, its staple meat, […] Read more
More transparency wanted for crop reporting in U.S.
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — The American Farm Bureau Federation, an agricultural trade group, says confidence is fading in the United States Department of Agriculture’s most market-sensitive crop reports, and the government should respond by modernizing its technology and improving transparency. The Farm Bureau released recommendations last month following a four-month review by 10 of its […] Read more
American meat plants pay employees to vaccinate
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Meat packer JBS USA and chicken company Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. will pay $100 to U.S. employees who voluntarily receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The bonus is intended to encourage employees to get inoculations, after thousands of U.S. meat-packing workers became infected with the coronavirus last year. The companies said internal surveys showed 60 […] Read more
