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Canada has blocked imports from the biggest U.S. pork processing plant, a facility run by Smithfield Foods in Tar Heel, North Carolina, the company said on Friday. The suspension comes as Washington, D.C., and Ottawa have sparred in a heated dispute over trade tariffs. It is the latest blow for America’s farm sector, which has been roiled by concerns that U.S. tariffs will spark retaliation from top importers that reduces demand for American agricultural products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the suspension was in line with standard protocols and unrelated to recent trade activity. The agency and Smithfield, the largest U.S. pork processor, did not specify what triggered Canada’s action. “Under Canada’s policy, three noncompliance issues within six months trigger a temporary suspension,” USDA said. Blocking shipments from the plant limits a market for U.S. pork products. USDA is working with Smithfield to address the issues and develop a corrective action plan that will be communicated to Canadian authorities, according to an agency statement. “Once reviewed and accepted, Canada may consider reinstating the plant’s export eligibility,” USDA said. Canada halted imports from the facility on Thursday, according to a USDA website. “The issue pertains to a limited number of certain offal shipments,” Smithfield spokesman Jim Monroe said. Smithfield shares were nearly flat on Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump exempted goods from Canada and Mexico on Thursday under a North American trade pact for a month from the 25% tariffs he imposed earlier this week. Canada was the fifth-largest export market for U.S. pork last year, according to U.S. government data. Though shipments slipped, they were valued at about $850 million. U.S. pork has a significant presence in the Canadian retail and foodservice sectors, said Joe Schuele, spokesman for the U.S. Meat Export Federation, an industry group. Smithfield, whose brands include Eckrich and Nathan’s Famous, returned to a U.S. exchange in January after more than a decade, in a spinoff by Hong Kong-based WH Group. Tom Polansek, Reuters
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YouTube is taking steps to crack down on gambling content. On Tuesday, the platform announced a new policy that bans creators from directing viewers to unapproved gambling websites through links, images, text, logos, or verbal mentions. According to YouTube, unapproved is defined as any site that doesnt meet local legal requirements or hasnt undergone review by YouTube or its parent company, Google. The new rules, which go into effect March 19, also include a new age restriction. Online gambling content will no longer be viewable by users who are signed out or signed in under the age of 18. YouTube has made two exceptions to the rule: content focused on online sports betting and in-person gambling. YouTube also made it clear that it may take down videos that promise guaranteed returns, regardless of whether the gambling site itself is approved. We know this update may impact creators who focus on online gambling content like casino games and applications, but we believe these changes are a necessary step in protecting our community, especially younger viewers, YouTube said in the announcement. This is just one in a number of recent actions YouTube is taking to protect younger viewers on its platform. Just last month, Google announced that it would start testing a machine learning model to estimate user ages more accurately, allowing platforms like YouTube to better tailor content to appropriate audiences. This also isnt YouTubes first pushback against gambling-related content. The company previously banned gambling ads for its masthead ad slot in 2021. However, this hasnt slowed down the flood of gambling content from creators looking to cash in on sponsorships and affiliate programs. On YouTube, videos promising to teach viewers how to cash in on election betting and sports betting rack up hundreds of thousands of views. While platforms including Twitch and X already impose some restrictions on online-gambling promotion, enforcement is far from airtight. On X, for instance, viral images often surface with watermarks from gambling company Stake, in an attempt to sidestep the platforms rules and sneak gambling promotions into the feed. In 2022, Stakes founders launched Kick, a direct competitor to Twitch, specifically designed to allow live-streamed gambling content and direct promotions for online casinos. In the wild wild west of online gambling, at least YouTube is making attempts to step up and protect young, impressionable viewers.
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E-Commerce
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning a large study into potential connections between vaccines and autism, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, despite extensive scientific research that has disproven or failed to find evidence of such links. It is unclear whether U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has long promoted anti-vaccine views, is involved in the planned CDC study or how it would be carried out. The CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services were not immediately available for comment. The CDC’s move comes amid one of the largest measles outbreaks the U.S. has seen in the past decade, with more than 200 cases and two deaths in Texas and New Mexico. The outbreak has been fueled by declining vaccination rates in parts of the United States where parents have been falsely persuaded that such shots do more harm than good. Kennedy, whose role includes authority over the CDC, has long sowed doubt over the safety of the combined vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). In a cabinet meeting last week, Kennedy initially downplayed news that a school-aged child had died of measles in Texas, the first such death in a decade, calling such outbreaks ordinary and failing to mention the role of vaccination to prevent measles. Over the weekend, Kennedy published an opinion piece on Fox News that promoted the role of vaccination, but also told parents vaccination was a personal choice and urged them to consult with their physician. Kennedy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President Donald Trump’s nominee for CDC director, Dr. Dave Weldon, is set for a U.S. Senate committee hearing next week. Some senators have expressed concerns over Weldon’s views on vaccines. Weldon declined to comment. Dr. Wilbur Chen, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and former member of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, said the existence of such a study, conducted by the federal government, is itself enough to raise doubts about vaccines among some in the general public. “It sends the signal that there is something there that is worth investigating, so that means there must be something going on between vaccines and autism,” Chen said. Autism diagnoses in the United States have increased significantly since 2000, intensifying public concern. Many researchers attribute the rise in diagnoses to more widespread screening and the inclusion of a broader range of behaviors to describe the condition. But some public figures have popularized the idea that vaccines are to blame, an idea stemming from a since-debunked study from British researcher Andrew Wakefield in the late 1990s that connected a rise in autism diagnoses with widespread use of the MMR shot. The causes of autism are unclear. No rigorous studies have found links between autism and vaccines or medications, or their components such as thimerosal or formaldehyde. There is widespread speculation among scientists that its neurological characteristics may develop in utero, when the fetal brain is being wired. Studies have linked autism to maternal factors in pregnancy, and some research suggests a link to birth complications and timing. Trump, in an address to Congress this week, cited the rise in autism among children. “So, we’re going to find out what it is, and theres nobody better than Bobby and all of the people that are working with you, Trump said, referring to Kennedy. The White House had no immediate comment on the planned CDC study. Kennedys anti-vaccine views have drawn concern among some Republicans. During Kennedys confirmation hearing Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and physician, suggested that the nominee disavow any links between vaccines and autism. Kennedy denied that he was anti-vaccine, but did not acknowledge that such a link had been debunked. This week Cassidy questioned Trumps nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, over his stance on investigating a potential link between autism and childhood vaccinations. “I don’t generally believe there is a link, based on my reading of the literature,” Bhattacharya said. “But we do have a sharp rise in autism rates, and I don’t think any scientist really knows the cause of it. I would support a broad scientific agenda based on data to get an answer to that.” Dan Levine and Leah Douglas, Reuters
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