Cold start to spring slows demand for high-quality U.S. beef
By Michael Hirtzer
CHICAGO, March 20 (Reuters) – Persistently cold weather and snowfall on the first day of spring have crimped demand for high-quality cuts of beef in the United States at a time of year that typically sees increased purchases for so-called grilling season, analysts and traders said on Wednesday.
In a rare move, wholesale prices for choice-grade beef dipped below those of leaner but lesser-quality select cuts, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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The wholesale choice beef cutout declined to $192.94 per cwt, the lowest level since the first day of the month, while select beef was priced at $193.21.
“We need some nice grilling weather, some spring weather that facilitates the scraping off of backyard barbecues. Grilling season is an important turning point (in beef demand) and it’s certainly delayed this year,” said Jim Robb, economist at the Livestock Marketing Information Center.
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U.S. Senate approves funding bill to avert government shutdown
WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to avert a government shutdown next week by keeping agencies and discretionary programs funded through the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30.
The measure, approved by a 73-26 vote, must go back to the House of Representatives for final approval. It keeps in place $85 billion in automatic spending cuts, but it offers the military and some domestic agencies more flexibility to shift funds within these reduced budgets to higher-priority programs.
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States agree EU farm policy vision to keep reform on track
By Charlie Dunmore
BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) – The European Union is on course to complete reforming its 55-billion-euro-a-year farm policy from the start of 2014, after EU governments agreed a joint negotiating position late on Tuesday.
Farm ministers from the 27 EU member states backed the main lines of the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) first proposed by the European Commission in 2011, although they weakened the changes in several areas.
The agreement provides government negotiators with a mandate for talks with the Commission and European Parliament to finalise the reform, which are due to begin next month with the aim of reaching final agreement in June.
“We should rightly acknowledge our achievement today. But we should also acknowledge that it is only an interim success,” said Simon Coveney, farm minister of Ireland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
“We need to move on quickly from here and build on the momentum of the last week, which has also seen the European Parliament finalise its position on the CAP reform package,” he said in a statement.
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India in talks with Egypt for wheat exports-trade minister
NEW DELHI, March 20 (Reuters) – India is in talks with Egypt to export wheat, India’s trade minister, Anand Sharma, said on Wednesday.
“We are in talks but have not arrived at specifications like the volume of exports and other such details,” Sharma told reporters after his meeting with Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi who is visiting India.
India has been offering wheat from government warehouses to cut down surplus stocks and reduce the risk of wastage through damage by pests or weather.
The wheat harvest will gather momentum in April and farmers are expected to produce 92.3 million tonnes, the sixth straight year of output surpassing domestic demand of about 76 million tonnes.
Sharma also said the state run Cotton Corporation Of India (CCI) would offload stocks in the open market.
“That will happen,” he said.
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Anthrax kills 40 cattle in Australia, disease contained – government
By Colin Packham
SYDNEY, March 20 (Reuters) – Australia, the world’s No. 3 largest beef exporter, said it has confirmed that approximately 40 head of cattle have been killed by anthrax, but it expects the impact of the disease has been curtailed.
The outbreak was found at two properties in Moree, north west New South Wales, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said.
The government department said all remaining cattle have now been vaccinated, and there have been no further deaths on either property since March 9.
“Extensive tracing has confirmed that animals have not left the property and that the disease has not spread to other properties,” Steve Green, a spokesperson for the DPI, said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
Scientists said the outbreak is rare but not unusual.
