Financial

Australian farming group calls for interest rate relief

20-Dec-2012 - The National Farmers Federation (NFF) in Australia has urged more banks in the country to pass on interest rate relief to agricultural customers.

Cargill invests $20m in South African business

18-Dec-2012 - US meat processor Cargill has announced plans to invest $20 million into its animal nutrition facilities in South Africa.

News in brief

McDonald’s reports fresh upturn in sales

17-Dec-2012 - McDonald’s has reported a recovery in sales for November, with strong performance in the US and Europe.

Budget cuts to hit Irish farmers hard

07-Dec-2012 - In reaction to the Budget announcement made on Wednesday, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president John Bryan said the cuts imposed by the Minister for Agriculture would hit Irish farmers hard.

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EU allocates animal disease funds

07-Dec-2012 - More than €199m has been set aside by the European Union to combat animal diseases in 2013.

USDA leads Russia trade mission

05-Dec-2012 - US meat and livestock companies have joined other food businesses and officials on a trade mission in Russia this week (3-7 December).

Canada to be grilled over subsidies

04-Dec-2012 - Pig producers in Australia, New Zealand and the US have warned that Canada will be challenged over its pork subsidisation programme in the next round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.

Mozambique abattoir planned

03-Dec-2012 - Pan-African agricultural company Agriterra has opened a new commercial abattoir in Mozambique as part of a drive to increase the domestic supply of beef.

Russia to launch meat commodity exchange

03-Dec-2012 - Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture has unveiled plans to create commodity exchanges for trading the country’s primary agricultural products - meat, milk and sugar.

Cherkizovo hit by rouble, despite strong sales

29-Nov-2012 - Russian meat processor Cherkizovo has recorded a healthy sales increase of 6% for the nine months of 2012, despite an underwhelming price performance in its red meat divisions, caused by the weakening of the rouble.  

Cherkizovo grows processed meats production

27-Nov-2012 - Russian processing giant Cherkizovo Group has extended its ham and deli operations in Russia’s Kaliningrad region.

News in brief

Jobs lost as Cargill streamlines transport

26-Nov-2012 - Fifty jobs have been lost at a Canadian beef factory after owner Cargill decided to switch its transport operations to an external contractor.

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California slaughterhouse pays out over fraud claims

23-Nov-2012 - The owners of a disgraced California slaughterhouse have agreed to pay over $300,000 to settle a landmark fraud lawsuit launched by animal welfare campaigners.

Malta sees Q3 fall in meat production

23-Nov-2012 - Malta has seen a decline in meat production and producer value in the third quarter of this year.

Bankruptcies hit Russian poultry trade

14-Nov-2012 - The Russian poultry sector has been hit by a wave of bankruptcies, affecting even the largest producers in the country.

News in brief

JBS buys up Brazilian chicken firm

14-Nov-2012 - JBS SA has announced the acquisition of Brazilian specialist chicken processor Agroveneto. The company said the deal was valued at approximately R$128m and was subject to approval by the authorities and the company’s board of directors.

Cargill invests in Mozambique farming project

13-Nov-2012 - Meat processing company Cargill has announced a massive three-year partnership, in which it will invest US$1.35m, to expand farming in northern Mozambique.

US poultry trade urges action on Russian relations

13-Nov-2012 - The US poultry industry has joined calls for the government to act fast to establish Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with Russia.

McDonald’s reports first sales slump in almost 10 years

12-Nov-2012 - Global burger giant McDonald’s has released global comparable sales figures for the month ending October 2012, which show a 1.8% slump in business.

News in brief

Maple Leaf acquires major hog business

07-Nov-2012 - Canadian processor Maple Leaf Foods has announced the multi-million-dollar acquisition of a major hog production company.

Russian pig investment undeterred by WTO accession

07-Nov-2012 - Russia’s accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its impact on the pork market will not stop the country’s major agricultural holdings from investing in huge pig production projects, according to experts.

EU reclassifies low import duty regime for beef importers

06-Nov-2012 - The European Commission has confirmed that key beef exporters Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay will be excluded from the European Union’s future GSP low import duty regime for emerging markets, as they are now too rich to benefit.

Farmers unions reject Cypriot CAP proposals

05-Nov-2012 - European farming unions have rejected proposals by the new Cypriot presidency of the European Commissions to cut €50bn from the initial proposal on the CAP budget 2014-2020.

Maple Leaf’s meats move back towards profit

01-Nov-2012 - Maple Leaf Foods saw a return to operating profit in Q3 2012, with a drop in pig business profits offset by a strong performance in prepared meats and fresh poultry.

OSI develops €25m beef plant in Poland

01-Nov-2012 - McDonald's supplier OSI Food Solutions has begun construction of a multi-million-euro beef processing facility in Poland.