
Argentina has reported its first cases of Covid-19 at port terminals that ship soy meal and oil to the world in a fresh blow to the global commodities trade already disrupted by the pandemic.

China's soya bean imports in June from top supplier Brazil soared to a record high, according to customs data released on Sunday, driven by growing demand for soya beans as China's pig herd recovers after deadly outbreaks of African swine fever.

Germany is introducing a new law compelling meatpackers to employ staff directly in industrial abattoirs rather than sub-contracting to avert further coronavirus outbreaks exacerbated by poor working conditions, a draft law showed on Wednesday.

Due to the Paraná river drought, which affected Argentina’s soy oil-exporting capacity, Cattalini Terminais Marítimos, which handles almost 70% of Brazil’s soy oil exports through its facilities in the port of Paranaguá, predicts a 25% increase in shipments this year.

A study published by Science magazine on July 16 indicated that a fifth of Brazilian soy imports received by the European Union may come from land that has been illegally deforested.

One of the world's largest meatpackers said they have installed ultraviolet air cleaning equipment in some US plants, as pressure mounts on food companies to protect workers amid growing concerns about airborne transmission of the coronavirus.

Meat plants have been a major factor in the spread of coronavirus in at least three different regions of Brazil, according to the country’s experts. According to the new study conducted by the federal prosecution department the Public Ministry of Labour (MPT), the conditions at the meat plants have directly contributed towards the rapid transmission of the virus.

Brazilian orange juice exports registered a total volume of 1.07 million tons during the 2019/2020 harvest – an increase of 17% compared to the previous harvest, when 920,029 tons were shipped.

Argentina does not plan to increase grains export taxes despite the government’s need for revenue as the coronavirus pushes the country into a deep recession this year, Agriculture Minister Luis Basterra said this week.

If everyone alive ate steaks and dairy the way Brazilians and Americans do, we would need an extra five planets to feed the world, according to the first report to compare the carbon emissions from food consumption in Group of Twenty (G20) nations, released on Thursday.