Reuters — U.S. poultry company Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. said Wednesday it will pay a US$110.5 million fine after striking a plea deal with the Justice Department over price-fixing charges on chicken products. The guilty plea makes Pilgrim’s Pride, mostly owned by Brazilian meatpacker JBS, the first U.S. chicken company to reach an agreement with the
Pilgrim’s Pride strikes deal over U.S. chicken price-fixing charges
Brazil millers oppose sale of GMO wheat
Importing costs would rise, Abitrigo says, as Argentina approves new wheat
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian wheat millers association Abitrigo opposes the approval of genetically modified wheat products for sale in Brazil, saying it will make imports of the cereal more costly and impact prices on the domestic market. The statement comes after Argentine authorities approved a new genetically modified wheat that can resist drought
Germany finds two more African swine fever cases in wild boar
Two more cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been confirmed in wild boars in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, Germany’s federal agriculture ministry said Oct. 1. The new discoveries bring the total number of confirmed cases to 40 since the first one discovered in September. All were in wild animals with no farm
Ukraine grain exports down so far in 2020/21 season
Ukraine’s grain exports fell 11.2 per cent in the first three months of the 2020/21 July-June season to 11.78 million tonnes, the economy ministry said Sept. 30. The volume included 4.258 million tonnes of grain exported in September, the ministry’s data showed. The data showed that the overall export volume included 8.2 million tonnes of
Syngenta buys biologics group Valagro
Syngenta expects the market for biologicals to double by 2025
Syngenta, the Swiss agrichemicals giant owned by ChemChina, has acquired Italian biologicals group Valagro, a company with US$175 million in 2019 sales that uses natural solutions to fight pests and diseases and to improve crops. Syngenta said in a statement Oct. 6 the acquisition positioned its crop protection business as a key player in the
China to see bumper grain harvest on good growing conditions
China should see a bumper grain harvest in the coming weeks because of good growing conditions and an increase in planted acreage, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu said in a recent statement. The comments followed concerns that a series of typhoons could reduce the output of corn, which is already in tight
Ukraine 2020-21 grain exports down 11.6 per cent so far
Ukraine has exported 10.77 million tonnes of grain so far in the July 2020-June 2021 season, compared with 12.19 million tonnes at the same point of the previous season, the Economy Ministry said Sept. 23. The volume is down largely because of a decline in corn sales, which stood at 619,000 tonnes, versus about 1.93
Syngenta buys biologics group Valagro
Zurich | Reuters — Syngenta, the Swiss agrichemicals giant owned by ChemChina, has acquired Italian biologicals group Valagro, a company with US$175 million in 2019 sales that uses natural solutions to fight pests and diseases and to improve crops. Syngenta said in a statement Tuesday the acquisition positioned its crop protection business as a key
Food retail order boom may ease after big quarter, Conagra says
Reuters — Conagra Brands put better-than-expected first quarter sales on Thursday down to heavy ordering by retailers worried about the durability of supply chains in the months ahead as a second wave of coronavirus cases takes hold. Shares in the foodstuffs maker dipped as much as three per cent before recovering after chief financial officer
Bayer plans more cost cuts, impairment charges
Pandemic now expected to hit crop science wing
Berlin | Reuters — German drugs and chemical company Bayer announced plans on Wednesday for more than 1.5 billion euros (C$2.34 billion) of cost cuts as of 2024 and said it would take impairment charges on its agricultural business as it battles with low commodity prices. Bayer said that the impact of the coronavirus on