Meat

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. 

Special Edition: Asia Pacific Feed Developments

Vietnam: Debate over influence of international feed players on pricing

20-Feb-2017 By Jane Byrne

Foreign feed companies are extending their reach in the Vietnamese market, according to the country’s ministry of agriculture. 

Special Edition: Asia Pacific Feed Developments

EU-Sino mycotoxin alliance aimed at ‘level playing field’ in feed additive regulation

15-Feb-2017 By Jane Byrne

Dairy and pig trials to support the development of EU equivalent regulations on feed additives to detoxify mycotoxins are about to get underway in China.

China’s top online meat sales trends

14-Feb-2017 By Mark Godfrey

Chinese males aged between 28 and 35 are the sweet spot for vendors of meat in China’s booming online commerce.

Engineering deal ushers in insect meal factory builds in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the US

13-Feb-2017 By Jane Byrne

South Africa’s AgriProtein is collaborating with engineering group, Christof Industries, to build up to 25 cost-efficient, high-volume fly farms a year in global locations.

War and smuggling hit Libyan sheep sales

10-Feb-2017 By Elizia Volkmann

Civil war, currency instability and smuggling are hitting the Libya's sheep market and stocks of the key Libyan Barbary Sheep breed are decreasing.

Irish producers show off clean, green image in fight for ME share

08-Feb-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Ireland’s government food industry promoter has said it hoped that the Emerald Isle’s strong reputation for farm provenance would boost sales in the Middle East as it launches a new range of eggs designed for the local market. 

Brazil’s Minerva wants to make South America the ME’s premier supplier

08-Feb-2017 By RJ Whitehead

With exports to the Middle East accounting for more than a third of its global sales, one of South America’s biggest beef producers has announced that it will begin developing new market-specific products for the region.

CP Foods pumps cash into Russia’s meat industry

08-Feb-2017 By Vladislav Vorotnikov

Russia will see millions of dollars invested in its meat industry this year amid Thailand's Charoen Pokphand Foods' (CP Foods') plans to pump US$2 billion into expansion there by 2020. 

Japan ‘meat day’ looms – sales boom expected

08-Feb-2017 By Kathryn Wortley

Butchers, supermarkets and barbecue restaurants in Japan are gearing up for the national meat trade’s busiest day of the year, dubbed ‘Meat Day’ – on 9 February. 

South Korea culls 195 cows and halts livestock transportation to stop spread of foot-and-mouth disease

06-Feb-2017 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The government of South Korea has confirmed a case of foot-and-mouth disease at a dairy farm in Boeun county, approximately 106 miles southeast of Seoul.

Salmonella outbreaks from undercooked eggs and meat sicken 70

06-Feb-2017 By Joseph James Whitworth

More than 70 people in an Australian state have been sickened by Salmonella in five outbreaks linked to undercooked eggs and meat.

China’s climate agenda sparks pork modernisation

06-Feb-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Environmental regulation on the meat industry in China will drive a surge in modernisation for the country’s pork sector, according to Rabobank.

Singapore welcomes first shipment of Celtic Pride Welsh Beef

06-Feb-2017 By Aaron McDonald

Some of Singapore’s top restaurants have received the first shipment of Celtic Pride Welsh Beef. 

Dateline Southeast Asia

Cambodia calls on Thai halal expertise to boost homegrown industry

02-Feb-2017 By RJ Whitehead

Having risen to become one of the world’s biggest producers of halal food, Thailand is now seeking to invest in halal production in neighbouring Cambodia.

Soapbox

Exploring the legal status of edible insects around the world

01-Feb-2017 By Massimo Reverberi

Entomophagy is a new phenomenon in the West, and as a result it is rarely regulated. This leads to public institutions like food agencies, customs and health departments often finding themselves helpless in the face of new product development based on...

India

Arjuna launches natural preservative for chilled meat

01-Feb-2017 By RJ Whitehead

India natural ingredients major Arjuna Natural Extracts has launched a natural, formulation-specific preservative designed to increase the shelf life of chilled meats.

Japan's tax diversion scheme lifts wagyu beef sales

25-Jan-2017 By Kathryn Wortley

A scheme by Miyazaki Prefecture, which offers local wagyu in return for tax payments to its municipalities from residents in other parts of the country, is supporting regional livestock farmers and meat producers.

US meat industry wants Asia deal as Trump kills TPP

24-Jan-2017 By Keith Nuthall

The North American Meat Institute (NAMI) has called on President Donald Trump to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Asia after he withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

World’s largest halal firm eyes stock market float

20-Jan-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Brazilian meatpacker BRF plans to capitalise its new halal subsidiary OneFoods and may look to raise funds via a stock market flotation.

SPOTLIGHT JAPAN

Asahi ambitious for more acquisitions despite European buying spree

19-Jan-2017 By Gary Scattergood

Japan’s biggest beer firm Asahi is weighing up further European acquisitions following last year’s two bumper deals with AB InBev.

Expansion of Japanese beef bowl chains to drive Chinese meat consumption

17-Jan-2017 By Mark Godfrey

Two of Japan’s biggest conglomerates are planning huge expansion of their ‘beef bowl’ fast food chains across China in order to compensate for low growth in a saturated Japanese marketplace. 

Kashmiri taste for lamb and goat prompts robust meat trade in India

16-Jan-2017 By Jehangir Rashid

The predominantly meat-eating communities in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir has become a significant market for Indian meat and livestock producers from outside the region.

Australia goat prices move from ‘strength-to-strength’

13-Jan-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

A relatively good balance between the Australian and US dollar during 2016 fended off a price pinch for goat meat exporters hit with trade decline.

Poultry producer launches halal subsidiary

13-Jan-2017 By Gwen Ridler

One of the world’s largest exporters of poultry BRF – which operates a factory in the UK – has launched a subsidiary to target the growing halal processed foods market in the Middle East. 

Qatar-backed wealth fund joins BRF to buy Turkey’s poultry leader

11-Jan-2017 By RJ Whitehead

An international consortium backed by a Gulf sovereign wealth fund has agreed to buy Turkey’s biggest poultry producer in a half-billion-dollar deal fuelled by a desire to expand into halal markets.

Chinese farms face new environment tax

09-Jan-2017 By Mark Godfrey

China’s pig sector looks set to be restrained by a new environmental tax to pay for proper handling of effluent.

Australian price watchdog needs more ‘teeth’, says beef body

09-Jan-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) should be given more powers to collect accurate data on the meat industry, the Australian Beef Association (ABA) has claimed.

Thai CPF continues expansion with €49.5m SuperDrob stake

04-Jan-2017 By Jaroslaw Adamowski

Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) has signed a preliminary deal to acquire a 33% stake in Polish poultry processor SuperDrob SA less than a fortnight after its big money Bellisio takeover.

CP Foods thaws US with $1bn Bellisio takeover

03-Jan-2017 By Oscar Rousseau

Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) has flexed its financial muscles with a $1.075bn takeover of frozen specialist Bellisio Foods and a 33% stake in Poland’s SuperDrob.

Soapbox

Edible insect industry group set up to support Southeast Asia

03-Jan-2017 By Massimo Reverberi

In the last few years, dozens of edible insect start-ups have popped up in western countries to supply a new wave of interest in bugs as food. This market is now in need of regulation, promotion and support.

Australian meat chief targets China and Saudi in 2017

21-Dec-2016 By Oscar Rousseau

The CEO of the Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council (ALEC) has targeted market “diversification” as a key meat industry priority for 2017.

Kazakhstan eyes export of organic meat to Asia

20-Dec-2016 By Vladislav Vorotnikov

Kazakhstan may become one of the largest organic meat exporters in Asia, establishing export supplies of up to 360,000 tonnes (t) of organic beef and lamb per year, primarily to China.