N

ews that South Korea may soon lift a ban on Canadian beef imports could be a major boost for Canada’s beef sales abroad, an industry official says. South Korea’s agriculture minister was recently quoted as saying his country could remove the eight-year ban by the end of June. That would reopen one of Canada’s biggest



Testing For BSE Worthwhile, Study Suggests

Anew industry study concludes a voluntary BSEtesting program for cattle could help boost Canada’s beef exports to Asia. But it cautions that BSE-tested beef would only be a niche market and the demand for it might be limited. Testing alone may not fully restore Canada’s beef markets lost to BSE in Japan and other Asian

U.S. Cattle Herd Expansion Underway

U.S. ranchers have begun to rebuild shrinking herds in response to record-high cattle prices, but lenders remain cautious, the head of the country’s largest cattle group said. It is the first indication that the cattle herd was going through an expansion after the financial crisis of 2008 and the ensuing global recession hurt the livestock


Cattle And Hog Groups To Lobby Electioneering Candidates

Improved market access and better business risk management programs top livestock producers’ wish list for the May 2 federal election. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Pork Council vow to make trade and BRMs election issues as the campaign gets underway. They also say they will tell politicians that rising input costs and an



Hormone-Free Beef Moves Into EU

ACanadian company has shipped 120 tonnes of hormone-free beef to the European Union since the EU granted Canada duty-free access, Canada’s agriculture minister said March 14. Alberta-based Canada Gold Beef made the sales, worth $1.5 million, and shipments look to continue at the same pace, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a press release. Canada

Canada Records 18th BSE Case

They’re still finding homegrown BSE cases in Canada nearly eight years after the first one occurred. Canada’s latest case of BSE involves a 77-month-old dairy cow in Alberta, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed. The case was detected Feb. 18. As of last week, CFIA had yet to post it on its website. The agency



Americans On Budgets Push Up Price Of “Cheap” Beef

With more Americans tightening their belts, demand for cheaper cuts of U.S. beef has actually pushed the price of select-grade beef higher than the generally more expensive choice cuts. For the first time in nearly two years, select-grade beef prices are above those for better-quality choice grade, according to U.S. government data. The data showed