HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) — More attention should be given to the welfare of farm animals worldwide and to reducing the use of growth-enhancing medications, agriculture ministers from about 70 countries meeting in Berlin said recently. There is a global need to improve animal health and animal welfare by promoting good animal husbandry management practices, biosecurity […] Read more
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EU ministers call for more animal welfare
Industry wants Trudeau to talk pulses in India
Canada’s pulse industry hopes tariff and non-tariff trade barriers are on the agenda when the prime minister visits India next month. Justin Trudeau plans to lead the Canadian delegation on a state visit from Feb. 17- 23 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As part of the visit, Trudeau is expected to […] Read more
Businesses pressed to adopt sustainability goals
OSLO, Norway (Reuters) — Many companies are looking past quarterly results to discover long-term economic opportunities in United Nations’ goals to end poverty and protect the planet, the head of an international business commission has said. Mark Malloch-Brown’s Business and Sustainable Development Commission has contacted 1,500 chief executive officers to persuade them that embracing development […] Read more
U.K. declares a bird flu zone
Veterinary officials in the United Kingdom have declared a bird flu prevention zone across England in a bid to prevent the virus spreading. The U.K.’s chief vet, Nigel Gibbens, at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, announced the measure following the detection of 13 dead wild birds in Warwickshire that tested positive for […] Read more
Grain handlers pressured
Grain companies are struggling to keep product flowing through their facilities and that is hurting the bottom line, says an oilseed trader. “Everybody is just getting killed now,” said Glen Pownall, managing director of Peter Cremer Canada. “The margin structure is just getting hammered because there’s just so much excess capacity in the system without […] Read more
World produced more animal feed last year
Annual feed survey finds that North American prices are lowest in the world because of easy access to cereals and soybeans
A record amount of animal feed was produced in 2017. More than one billion tonnes of manufactured feed was produced worldwide, a 13 percent increase since 2012, said Aidan Connolly of the animal nutrition company, Alltech. The global feed survey was released Jan. 25 and compiled figures from more than 31,000 feed manufacturers in 144 […] Read moreJapanese frozen beef imports continue to soar
Japan keeps increasing the amount of foreign beef it buys, despite a tariff increase to 50 percent from 38.5
TOKYO — Japan’s frozen beef imports have continued rising year on- year, despite the Aug. 1 tariff hike to 50 percent from 38.5. Japan Ministry of Finance figures, currently available through November 2017, show a 16.72 percent year-on-year rise for total imports of frozen beef in the August-November period, from 637,303.15 tonnes in 2016 to […] Read moreAg Notes
Canada’s Agriculture Day will be Feb. 13 The second annual event celebrates the sector of the economy that employs one in eight Canadians. It will highlight things happening in agriculture to help consumers see where their food comes from and the people who produce it. It will also try to attract youth to the range […] Read more
Input Capital tests new “mortgage streaming” contracts
A Regina-based company that buys unharvested canola from farmers through streaming contracts is dipping its toes into the farmland mortgage market. Input Capital Corp. announced Jan. 30 that it has launched a new “mortgage stream” on a pilot project basis. New mortgage contracts will offer growers an opportunity to meet mortgage obligations by entering canola […] Read more
Plant breeders’ rights violators reach settlement
Seed industry says enforcement plays an important role in educating farmers about need to follow the rules
Member-owned seed distribution company SeCan has reached out-of-court settlements with seven western Canadian farmers who were illegally selling or attempting to sell seed varieties protected by plant breeders rights. Todd Hyra, SeCan’s business manger for Western Canada, said six commercial grain growers in Saskatchewan and one in Manitoba reached settlements with SeCan after illegal sales […] Read more
