Asia PacificU.S. beef investigation to be done soonThe U.S. investigation int...

Asia Pacific

U.S. beef investigation to be done soon
The U.S. investigation into a veal shipment containing backbone that prompted Japan to close its market to American beef should be finished and presented to the Japanese government in about a week, U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer said .

Meat traders want refunds for U.S. beef
Japanese meat traders are checking whether the United States would be willing to buy back 1,380 tons of its beef that is stuck in Japanese customs.

MLA not worried by U.S. beef competition
The new head of Meat and Livestock Australia, David Palmer, has indicated that he does not expect U.S. beef to be a major force in the North Asian beef market when Korea and Japan fully lift restrictions on U.S. beef.

Americas

Mexico expands beef  market access
Mexico is once again importing bone-in beef from animals under 30 months of age from the United States and Canada – two nations that have lost beef markets in several countries due to the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in their cattle.

Brazil's 2006 meat export performance remains to be seen
Brazil's commerce ministry Wednesday reported that 34,100 tons of pork were exported in January, compared with 39,400 tons and 34,600 tons in December and January 2005 respectively.

Europe

Dutch reopen some pig farms after dioxin scare
Dutch food safety authority VWA on Thursday reopened nine pig farms out of 250 it had sealed off as a precaution after discovering cancer-causing dioxin in animal feed last week.

U.K. imports drop as production soars
Beef and lamb processors increase productivity 18 percent, presenting stiff competition to imported product.

USA

U.S. Congress out of patience on Japan beef-envoy
The U.S. Congress has "run out of patience" over Japan's ban on American beef imports, Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer said on Friday, adding that he hoped the issue could be settled in a "fairly short period of time."

Conagra selling refrigerated meat business
ConAgra Foods plans to shed its refrigerated meat businesses, worth almost $2 billion in total combined sales, to refocus and simplify its corporate structure.

U.S. opens free-trade negotiations with South Korea
The United States is opening negotiations for a free-trade agreement with South Korea, an agreement that could address several underlying issues, including Seoul's ban on bone-in beef, that have irritated U.S. agricultural exporters.

Japan halts imports of Dutch pork
Japan has imposed a temporary ban on imports of pork from the Netherlands. South Korea has taken a similar measure.

Asia Pacific

U.S. beef investigation to be done soon
The U.S. investigation into a veal shipment containing backbone that prompted Japan to close its market to American beef should be finished and presented to the Japanese government in about a week, U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer said .

Meat traders want refunds for U.S. beef
Japanese meat traders are checking whether the United States would be willing to buy back 1,380 tons of its beef that is stuck in Japanese customs.

MLA not worried by U.S. beef competition
The new head of Meat and Livestock Australia, David Palmer, has indicated that he does not expect U.S. beef to be a major force in the North Asian beef market when Korea and Japan fully lift restrictions on U.S. beef.

Americas

Mexico expands beef  market access
Mexico is once again importing bone-in beef from animals under 30 months of age from the United States and Canada – two nations that have lost beef markets in several countries due to the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in their cattle.

Brazil's 2006 meat export performance remains to be seen
Brazil's commerce ministry Wednesday reported that 34,100 tons of pork were exported in January, compared with 39,400 tons and 34,600 tons in December and January 2005 respectively.

Europe

Dutch reopen some pig farms after dioxin scare
Dutch food safety authority VWA on Thursday reopened nine pig farms out of 250 it had sealed off as a precaution after discovering cancer-causing dioxin in animal feed last week.

U.K. imports drop as production soars
Beef and lamb processors increase productivity 18 percent, presenting stiff competition to imported product.

USA

U.S. Congress out of patience on Japan beef-envoy
The U.S. Congress has "run out of patience" over Japan's ban on American beef imports, Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer said on Friday, adding that he hoped the issue could be settled in a "fairly short period of time."

Conagra selling refrigerated meat business
ConAgra Foods plans to shed its refrigerated meat businesses, worth almost $2 billion in total combined sales, to refocus and simplify its corporate structure.

U.S. opens free-trade negotiations with South Korea
The United States is opening negotiations for a free-trade agreement with South Korea, an agreement that could address several underlying issues, including Seoul's ban on bone-in beef, that have irritated U.S. agricultural exporters.

Japan halts imports of Dutch pork
Japan has imposed a temporary ban on imports of pork from the Netherlands. South Korea has taken a similar measure.