Brazilian beef exports for May stood at 90,500t, which is in line with the same month last year. This brings Brazilian beef exports for the first five months of 2018 (Jan-May) to a cumulative 480,000t, which is almost 13% ahead of the same period last year.

Russian wheat exports are forecast to break 40m tonnes for the 2017/18 season, according to Moscow grain consultancy SovEcon. Russian exports are boosted by recent strong prices for wheat. This would be a new record for Russian wheat exports.

Australia’s lamb kill is forecast to reach almost 23m head this season, which would be a 2% rise on last year. Strong international demand is supporting prices, while a dry summer has also driven lamb slaughterings.

Mexico has announced it will impose tariffs of 15% to 25% on a range of US food imports, including cheese, pork and potatoes. Mexico is the largest export market for US pork and dairy. The country imports 90,000t of cheese and 250,000t of skim powder (SMP) alone.