China imported 4.75 million tonnes of meat, including offal, in the first six months of the year, customs data showed, up 73.5% on the same period a year ago. Chinese buyers boosted overseas meat purchases after a collapse in domestic pork production caused by an epidemic of African swine fever that has swept the country since 2018. China imported 896,000 tonnes of meat, including offal, in June, the data from the General Administration of Customs showed, up 9.8% from 813,000 tonnes in May. Customs did not provide comparable year-ago June meat import figures.
To show appreciation for all HSE and Healthcare Professionals Iceland Ireland is offering them with a 20% discount when they shop at any of the 27 nationwide locations from today, Monday 20 July to Sunday 26 July 2020. To avail of the offer, all customers need to do is show official HSE or relevant ID when shopping in store – this will also allow for the use of the existing Fast Track Through The Tills, which will help all Healthcare Professionals to complete their purchase with no delays. Ron Metcalfe, Managing Director of Iceland Ireland said: “Here at Iceland Ireland, we are proud to put community at the heart of everything we do. As part of this, we felt it was important to acknowledge the incredible efforts by all HSE & Healthcare Professionals as they continue to dedicate themselves to keeping us safe. We want to say a huge thank you to them, and hope that our special 20% discount offer will make their lives a little bit easier during this time.”
Britain’s Co-op has announced plans to extend the Click & Collect delivery and returns service offered by John Lewis & Partners to more than 500 stores by the end of this summer. The initiative aims to make shopping more convenient for customers by offering them access to John Lewis products in more locations, reports esmmagazine.com Director of innovation and format at Co-op, Mark Matthews, said, “With our stores located at the heart of local communities, choice, ease and convenience is at the very core of our approach. We continue to look for new ways to innovate and expand access to products and services conveniently, and by working together we can offer further flexibility and choice to meet consumer needs, conveniently."
Walmart, the world's biggest retailer, has restarted talks with potential buyers of a stake in its British supermarket arm Asda, a Walmart spokesperson said on Monday. The talks had been put on hold in April so management could focus on dealing with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. "Walmart and Asda have restarted conversations with a small number of third-party investors who are interested in acquiring a stake in Asda and partnering with Walmart, following renewed inbound interest," the spokesman said. After Asda's attempt to combine with UK rival Sainsbury's was blocked by the competition regulator last year, Walmart said it was considering a stock market listing for Asda.
A fifth of EU soy imports from Brazil may come from land illegally deforested, according to a new study that offers a detailed inventory of farms in the supply chain. One major soy industry group representing traders said it shuns purchases from farms identified by Brazil as problematic. That research, published on Thursday in the journal Science, also opens the door for both international companies and Brazilian law enforcement to pinpoint specific farms violating rules against Amazon deforestation, according to study co-author Raoni Rajao, who specializes in environmental management at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Previous research had traced sales only to municipalities where illegal deforestation took place. "Brazil has the means to develop a great government-led monitoring system that is able to clean supply chains of deforestation," Rajao said. "Before the technical means weren't there, and now we have developed those means."
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