Meat

US targets Japan's appetite for luxury beef

11-Apr-2017 By Kathryn Wortley

US suppliers are expanding in Japan’s competitive high-end beef market to build on growing consumer demand for US beef.

Low sheep supply to spark record Australian prices

10-Apr-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Tight livestock supplies will see Australia process 2.7 million fewer sheep and lambs this year, which may lead to record prices for the industry.

Lab burgers, lentils and locusts: is it boom-time for the meat-free protein market?

07-Apr-2017 By David Burrows

What’s next for the €250k lab burger? Can bugs and canola really replace beef and chicken? And why might novel proteins come up short when it comes to shifting consumer behaviour? Five things we learned at last week’s Future Proteins summit.

FAO: Agriculture support more important than human aid in Syria

05-Apr-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Syrian agricultural production “can and should be kick-started” after the huge damage it has endured during years of fighting.

UAE ban for Croatian poultry as bird flu hits country

05-Apr-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned a number of live bird and poultry product imports from Croatia, following an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Thai firm in £60m takeover of UK food business

04-Apr-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) has agreed a deal to acquire UK-based Westbridge Food Group Limited for £60m.

Meat sellers strike following crackdown in India

04-Apr-2017 By Raghavendra Verma

Meat traders from India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, are on indefinite strike to protest the new Hindu nationalist state government’s forced closure of slaughterhouses and meat shops.

Vietnam meat firm enhanced by cash injection

03-Apr-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Vietnam-based Masan Group Corporation’s meat subsidiary is set to see a cash injection of $250 million (m) after US investment firm KKR acquired a minority share in the business.

New Zealand: Animal welfare body airs ‘concerns’

31-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Concerns over selective breeding practices in New Zealand’s commercial pork and poultry farms have been raised in a report from the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC).

Australia’s pork farmers face faeces ‘issue’

31-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Free-range pig farmers in Australia face an emerging issue of pig feed becoming contaminated by duck muck, according to a livestock veterinarian.

Australian volumes help drive Hilton Food profit

30-Mar-2017 By Aidan Fortune

An increase in production capacity in Australia and favourable currency conditions have helped Hilton Food Group to revenue and profit growth in 2016.

Australia

New Harvey Beef line to process only pampered cattle from WA

30-Mar-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Western Australian meat major Harvey Beef has placed its emphasis on animal welfare for the launch of its new Rangelands brand.

Hong Kong restores Brazilian meat trade

29-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Hong Kong is the latest key importer to have lifted a ban on Brazilian meat, after China and Egypt eased restrictions earlier this week.

Special Edition: Organic Feed

Australia: Industry led initiative looks to boost organic grain supply

28-Mar-2017 By Jane Byrne

Stakeholders expect organic grain production in Australia to triple in the next five years, but they note a supply deficit currently.

Donald Trump and China: call to unlock beef market

28-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

US meat bodies have urged US President Donald Trump to secure China President Xi Jinping’s support for a beef deal, with industry talks failing to make progress.

China

Return of deadly bird flu strain prompts agencies to rethink approach

27-Mar-2017 By RJ Whitehead

The UN’s agriculture and animal welfare bodies have called for the development of a robust detection and response system to check a resurgent outbreak of an avian influenza strain that can be lethal for humans.

New Zealand’s ‘big win’ for exporters with chilled China meat deal

27-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

New Zealand has struck a six-month agreement with China to supply top restaurants and retailers with chilled meat, in a deal potentially worth millions of dollars to the economy.

Indian crackdown on illegal meat slaughter, smuggling

24-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

India’s chief minister for the state of Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath Yogi, has ordered a crackdown on cow smuggling and illegal slaughter.

Smoked meat traders find export joy in Japan

22-Mar-2017 By Kathryn Wortley

European dried, cured and smoked meat producers are poised for a rapid expansion of export sales to Japan, with growing demand for such products that cannot be satisfied by Japanese specialist producers.

Japan: corn supply crisis eases

17-Mar-2017 By Jane Byrne

Feed manufacturers in Japan, under pressure in recent weeks due to a supply shortage of corn arising from the cold weather in the US, told Reuters the crisis has eased.

Vietnamese pork regularly contaminated with bacteria, finds study

17-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Pork sold across Vietnam’s wet markets regularly carries food poisoning bacteria, such as Salmonella, according to researchers.

Dateline Southeast Asia

H5N1 outbreak progresses in northern Malaysia

16-Mar-2017 By RJ Whitehead

A week after the first cases of H5N1 avian flu were found in northern Malaysia, the outbreak has spread to more districts, though at the time of writing no human infections have been reported.

China’s hunger for Brazilian beef eases drop

15-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Early trade figures for the start of the year indicate Brazil’s top beef markets, Hong Kong and China, eased the burden of falling sales over January and February.

Ingredients firm to build massive animal feed factory in China

14-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Company is targeting Chinese growth with plans to build a new animal feed factory in central China and add aquaculture production lines to another factory in Nanjing.

ASIA'S FOOD LEADERS VIDEO SERIES

VIDEO: Asia is still the growth engine of the food world, Singapore CEO

14-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Better productivity, more reliable logistics and enhancing export oppotunities - these are just three of the key benefits of Commonwealth Capital's new $70m manufacturing site in Singapore.

Russia’s Miratorg targets Asia for $100m export push

13-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Russian meat company Miratorg wants to see its export revenue rise to as much as $100m this year, and a major product push at a Chinese trade show is underway to satisfy this ambition.

Thai chicken farmers stamping out slavery win government recognition

13-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Over 1,000 chicken farmers will receive a certificate from Thailand’s government that states the broiler growers adhere to strict anti-slavery standards.

China direct

Chinese meat major refocuses on established markets from emerging ones

13-Mar-2017 By RJ Whitehead

New Hope is anticipating a fourfold rise in business after announcing plans to expand into new established markets as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative to promote exports.

FOODEX JAPAN 2017

Japan halal: Manufacturers urged to boost shelf life to cash-in on Middle East exports

13-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Increasing the shelf life of halal products is the single factor that could help Japanese firms boost sales to the Middle East, and in turn help meet the government’s 1 trillion yen target for food exports by 2019.

Singapore steps up avian influenza prevention measures

10-Mar-2017 By Aidan Fortune

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has moved to reassure consumers that the nation’s poultry and poultry products are safe for consumption following an outbreak of H5N1 avian flu in the neighbouring region of Kelantan in Malaysia.

FOODEX JAPAN 2017

Kangaroo versus Kobe: Can Aussie protein take on premium beef in Japan?

09-Mar-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Increasingly health conscious Japanese consumers can be persuaded to skip Kobe beef in favour of top-of-the-range kangaroo, claims a pioneer of the Australian industry.

Halal food manufacturers are destined to appeal even to non-Muslims

08-Mar-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Halal is no longer the sole domain of Muslims, and is instead “a new culture many countries are keen to embrace” as they seek healthier and more sustainable food supplies.

VIV Asia 2017 Preview

Vietnamese production base keeps costs low for Belgian insect meal producer

07-Mar-2017 By Jane Byrne

Entobel is aiming to achieve 100,000 tons a year of insect meal production by 2025.

Investigation reveals ‘horrific’ export of livestock ‘tortured’ in the Middle East

03-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Europe’s livestock exports to the Middle East are under fire after a clandestine investigation revealed “horrific” footage detailing animal abuse, including alleged torture of cows in Lebanon.

Kuwait lifts trade ban on UK lamb in £15m deal

03-Mar-2017 By Aaron McDonald

A ban on United Kingdom lamb to Kuwait has been lifted, following a new deal worth £15 million ($18m).

Politician plugs Irish beef in Dubai

01-Mar-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Premium Irish beef has benefited from government support in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, helped secure endorsement from one of Dubai’s top chefs.

Special Edition: Asia Pacific Feed Developments

Indian shrimp production to benefit from rebalancing of global seafood supply and demand: Rabobank

01-Mar-2017 By Jane Byrne

India’s shrimp exports could benefit as China’s dominance as a seafood exporter is set to gradually diminish, says Rabobank.

Australian pork processor invests $14m to grow exports to SE Asia

01-Mar-2017 By This week Down Under

An Australia pork processor that supplies meat to Southeast Asia will undergo a major expansion to become one of the biggest facilities of its kind.

Meat factory X-ray technology study launched in Australia

28-Feb-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

An independent review set up by the Australian meat industry will analyse the feasibility of rolling out carcase measurement technology nationwide.

Thai takeover of top Russian meat plant nearly done

24-Feb-2017 By Eugene Vorotnikov

Talks to acquire a top Russian meat factory, the Ostankino Meat Processing Plant (OMPP), could be concluded by Thailand's CP Foods arm Charoen Pokphand Foods (overseas) LLC (CP Foods) next month.

US feed companies urged to sign up to gain access to Chinese market

24-Feb-2017 By Aerin Einstein-Curtis

Chinese market opportunities await US feed additive and premix producers as market regulation protocols progress.

SPOTLIGHT JAPAN

Japan’s household food spending the highest for 20 years as ready-to-eat sales rocket

23-Feb-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Japan’s households are spending less the across the board each month, but the amount forked out on food products has hit a 20-year high.

Health craze boosts Gulf’s meat consumption

22-Feb-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Bullish forecasts suggest that the GCC’s annual meat and poultry consumption will increase to 4.3m tonnes by 2019, with demand for healthy and halal products driving the segment’s growth.

China’s bird flu outbreak ‘serious’

21-Feb-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

An outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in China that has already claimed the lives of more than 100 people is likely to hurt the pockets of farmers, according to analysts.