The streets of Madrid were filled with sheep and the clanking of bells Oct. 24 as shepherds guided their flocks through the heart of the Spanish capital, following ancient seasonal herding routes. Locals lined the route to welcome back the spectacle, which was cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual event, which
Sheep replace cars as they cross Madrid en route to winter pastures
Pot company Hexo to shut production sites, cut jobs
Reuters — Pot producer Hexo Corp. said Tuesday it will close three production sites in Canada in early 2022, affecting 155 employees, as part of its integration plans following recent acquisitions. Gatineau, Que.-based Hexo said it will cease operations at its Kirkland Lake and Brantford facilities in Ontario at the end of January and at
Sovecon raises forecast for Russia’s 2021 wheat crop
Continuing dry weather could hamper winter grain sowing in Ukraine and result in a smaller sown area in Russia, analysts and weather forecasters said Oct. 27. Farmers in Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, have so far sown winter grains on 17.5 million hectares for next year’s crop, down from 18.2 million hectares around the
EU’s bird flu outbreaks reach Poland
Country's outbreaks hit farms totalling 650,000 birds
Paris | Reuters — Poland has reported several outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu at poultry farms with flocks totalling nearly 650,000 birds, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday. Poland is the European Union’s largest poultry producer. Five outbreaks, of which four were at fattening turkey farms and one at
U.S. border reopens to Canadian land travelers
Travel business sees 'tremendous pent-up demand'
Toronto | Reuters — A steady stream of Canadian visitors, particularly retirees headed to U.S. sun spots, crossed the U.S. border by car on Monday for the first time in 20 months as Washington lifted travel restrictions. Traffic was heavy at times at some U.S. border posts such as Bluewater Bridge, Michigan near Sarnia, Ont.,
French grain trader Soufflet says 2020-21 among toughest years
A poor harvest last year and the COVID-19 pandemic hit French agri-food group Soufflet’s annual results, it said Oct. 20, with its agriculture and trading businesses suffering most. Sales in 2020-21 fell over six per cent to 4.62 billion euros (US$5.37 billion) from the previous financial year. The group did not give other financial details.
China Sept. meat imports fall 17 per cent from year earlier
China’s meat imports in September fell sharply from a year ago to their lowest in 19 months, customs data showed on Wednesday, as cheap domestic pork cut demand for overseas supply. China brought in 694,000 tonnes of meat in September, down 17 per cent from the same month a year ago, according to the General
China’s live hog futures jump on falling sow inventory, govt. purchases
China’s live hog futures surged to hit a one-month high, tracking spot prices and helped by government stockpiling and falling sow inventory. “The driving force mainly came from the supply side,” said Rosa Wang, an analyst with Shanghai JC Intelligence Co. Ltd., citing decreasing sow inventory as a factor. China’s sow herd contracted by 0.9
Britain, New Zealand strike free trade deal
London/Wellington | Reuters — Britain and New Zealand have reached agreement in principle on a free trade deal designed to reduce tariffs, improve services trade, and take London one step closer to membership in a broader trans-Pacific trade agreement. Prime ministers Boris Johnson and Jacinda Ardern sealed the deal in a Zoom call on Wednesday
U.K. tries to prevent pig cull by importing butchers
U.K. farmers say Brexit and COVID are the causes of the crunch
London – Britain will try to avoid a mass cull of pigs by allowing trained butchers to come to work on temporary visas, Sky News reported on Oct. 14. The measures will include dropping a requirement for fluent English, Sky News said. A spokesman for Britain’s Agriculture Ministry declined to confirm or deny the report,