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CME to raise hog futures trading limits as swine fever fuels volatility

New daily limit of 3.75 U.S. cents proposed for mid-April

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group said Thursday it plans to increase daily trading limits for its lean hog futures in April, then adjust them annually because of heightened volatility linked to the outbreak of a fatal pig disease in China. The spread of African swine fever in China, the world’s biggest pork consumer, has

A worker checks the temperature of a passenger arriving into Hong Kong International Airport with an infrared thermometer on Feb. 7, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Hannah McKay)

Coronavirus disrupts China meat imports, food supplies

Swine fever has created pork shortage

Chicago | Reuters — Coronavirus is disrupting meat shipments to China as the country faces a shortage due to an outbreak of a fatal pig disease, Tyson Foods Inc and U.S. agricultural groups said on Thursday. An outbreak of African swine fever, which infects only pigs, has decimated China’s herd, pushing Chinese pork prices to


Mosquito control would be one of the few uses still allowed for chlorpyrifos under a proposal from Health Canada’s PMRA. (Tskstock/iStock/Getty Images)

Corteva to stop making Lorsban

Chicago | Reuters — Corteva will stop producing the agricultural pesticide chlorpyrifos by the end of the year, the company said on Thursday, removing the world’s largest manufacturer of a chemical that has been linked to low birth weight, reduced IQ and attention disorders in children. Corteva, spun off last year after a merger of

China’s recently signed trade deal with the U.S. promised to buy at least an additional US$12.5 billion worth of U.S. farm products in 2020 and at least US$19.5 billion in 2021.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Perdue uncertain on coronavirus effects

U.S. ag secretary unsure if coronavirus will slow China’s farm imports

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said January 29 he does not know whether China’s coronavirus outbreak will upset Beijing’s pledge to radically increase purchases of American farm goods as part of the countries’ recent trade deal. The virus has cast further doubt on China’s ability to buy US$36.5 billion of U.S. agricultural goods in 2020.


Jessica Anderson, an agricultural specialist for U.S. Customs Border and Protection, works with a beagle named Bettie to sniff out banned pork products at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

African swine fever poses global threat

Disease that killed millions of China’s pigs is prompting worry and planning around the world

Bettie the beagle, a detector dog for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, picked up the scent of pork on a woman arriving from China at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Soon the dog’s handler discovered and confiscated a ham sandwich in the purse of a passenger who had flown on a China Eastern Airlines flight from

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. EPA reaffirms glyphosate does not cause cancer

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday it finished a regulatory review that found glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the United States, is not a carcinogen. The conclusion reaffirms the agency’s stance on glyphosate, the key ingredient in Bayer’s Roundup, despite judgments by U.S. juries that have found


CME February 2020 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down to contract lows

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures sank by their daily trading limit to contract lows on Thursday under pressure from hefty supplies and fears about the spreading coronavirus outbreak. Cattle futures also hit multi-month lows. U.S. hog supplies are large after farmers expanded their herds to supply new processing plants. But traders are now

CBOT March 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day mopving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans set eight-month low

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell for an eighth consecutive session on Thursday and hit an eight-month low as the rising toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China added to concerns about Chinese demand for American crops. Wheat also eased and set a three-week low on the Chicago Board of Trade as the