Audi will stop launching new models with combustion engines in 2026 and will completely stop production of such vehicles in 2033, according to its president Markus Duesmann.

The only possible exception is China, where Audi is partnering with local manufacturers, but in the other regions production of gasoline and diesel cars will be phased out and Audi is “strategically reorienting” to achieve CO2 neutrality “by 2050 at the latest.”

At the same time Duesmann said that “Audi’s latest combustion engine will be the best ever built.”

By 2025 Audi plans to have more than 20 electric models in its portfolio.

This accelerated shift towards electric cars, under pressure from increasingly stringent European anti-pollution regulations, is part of the transition of the Volkswagen group, whose main brands will increasingly offer battery-powered models to catch up with rival Tesla.

The group plans to invest 46 billion euros over five years to achieve this historic change.

Six electric battery factories will be built across Europe as part of the plan, which aims to reduce dependence on Asian suppliers. Volkswagen expects to discontinue the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars by 2040.

JM

Content retrieved from: https://www.informador.mx/economia/Audi-se-despide-de-la-gasolina-solo-fabricara-autos-electricos-en-2026-20210622-0082.html.

The world-class Indian vaccine, with several vaccine manufacturers and an open licence, is attractive for several countries, particularly in the developing world. Indian pharma industry will gain immensely and our country will stand out as a nation helping at the time of need. But dominant global pharma companies stand to lose billions of dollars in profits due to the policies followed and stand taken by the Modi government and this is a strong enough reason for them to be unhappy.

The Drugs Controller General of India, on January 3, granted restricted emergency use authorisation (EUA) for two Covid-19 vaccines — Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield. Covaxin, developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology in collaboration with Bharat Biotech, is India’s first indigenous vaccine against Covid-19. Covaxin has now received EUA from a range of countries and is in the process of obtaining it in 60 other countries. This is an important step by the scientific community to fulfill our dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat

But the real battle on vaccines had begun earlier, when the original proposal submitted by India and South Africa to the TRIPS Council on October 2 emphasised the need for World Trade Organization (WTO) members to work together to ensure that intellectual property rights (IPR) “such as patents, industrial designs, copyright and protection of undisclosed information” do not create barriers to timely access to affordable medical products. A patent waiver would allow any company with the required capacity to start manufacturing the shot, even without an agreement with the original developer.

However, international developers of Covid-19 vaccines such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson opposed any waiver for their doses, claiming they were capable of producing adequate jabs to meet global demand. Pharmaceutical companies have reported sharp profit gains during the crisis. The industry’s biggest lobby group warned that this unprecedented step would undermine the response of companies and compromise safety. India then revised its proposal, to state that patent protections for vaccines be waived for a limited timeframe to address the concerns of the United States, European Union and others that opposed the original proposal.

Source: The Hindustan Times

“In the case of North America, the heavy frosts between February 17 and 19 froze a large part of the infrastructure in the United States and much of that infrastructure has not yet recovered and today we have implications in several products,” said Miguel Benedetto, general director of the National Association of the Chemical Industry, at a conference.

In a meeting with the media to talk about his circular economy study, he highlighted that this was one of the factors that generated a shortage of resins and chemicals necessary for other industries, such as polyethylene, PVC, among others, throughout the region.

In addition, he pointed out that the lower production of fuels in the world, due to a low demand derived from the Covid-19 pandemic, also affected production, not only in Mexico, but also worldwide, because some inputs necessary for several companies in the sector, which were obtained in the process of manufacturing gasoline in refineries, were no longer made.

Miguel Bendetto said that last year the chemical industry reported an 11.9 percent drop in production due to the pandemic, because despite being considered an essential industry, many of its customers did not operate because they were not also treated as relevant to the Mexican economy.

Recycling objective

ANIQ’s CEO said that companies in the industry are working to increase their recycling and boost the circular economy, which seeks to minimize polluting emissions by using the latter as a new input base.

“We don’t have an exact figure for investments or projects by companies, but as an industry we have a goal,” he commented.

By 2025, its mission is to achieve a collection rate of 70 percent PET and 30 percent of other products that can be reused, so that 20 percent of its inputs will be recycled material.

Beef and pork producing giant JBS USA suffered a cyberattack last weekend, leading to reported shutdowns at the company’s plants in North America and Australia.

The White House has said the ransomware attack was likely carried out by a Russian-based criminal organization and that it is dealing with the Russian government about it. The Australian government has said U.S. law enforcement is taking the lead in investigating the attack.

So far, some authorities and trade groups have assured that operations will return to normal as soon as possible, allaying concerns of a major disruption. But experts caution that it will depend on how quickly the problem is resolved.

Australia expects to reach ‘full capacity’ soon

David Littleproud, Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, said the country does not believe there is a shortage of red meat, even though JBS accounts for about a quarter of Australia’s red meat processing.

“But obviously we are concerned that there are limited operations at JBS facilities in New South Wales and Victoria today,” he said. “It’s possible that some work may resume tomorrow in Queensland. We expect them to be back to full capacity soon, but there is no definitive timetable.”

The Australian Meat Industry Council, a major trade group, said in a statement that “there is no indication that this cyber-attack will cause a major impact on Australia’s domestic supply of red meat and pork products.”

U.S. wants to keep supply on the move

In the United States, an official of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said Tuesday night that all U.S. JBS beef plants were shut down.

JBS, meanwhile, has said that “the vast majority” of its feed plants will be open Wednesday, adding that “JBS USA and Pilgrim’s were able to ship product from nearly all of their facilities to supply customers.” The company’s brands include Pilgrim’s, Great Southern and Aberdeen Black.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also said it has reached out to meat processors across the country, encouraging them to accommodate additional capacity and help keep the supply chain moving.

The agency said it is talking with retail, food and agriculture organizations to “stress the importance of maintaining close communication and working together to ensure a stable and abundant food supply.”

Supply problems could depend on timing

Will the consequences of the attack mean tighter meat supplies ahead and, as a result, higher prices? That depends on how quickly the problem is resolved, experts say.

“Even one day of disruption will significantly affect the beef market and wholesale beef prices,” Steiner Consulting Group, which specializes in commodity prices, wrote in a note Tuesday.

In the U.S., at least, that’s due in part to strong demand for hamburgers and other meat products over Memorial Day weekend.

“Retailers and meat processors are coming off a long weekend and need to catch up on orders and make sure they fill the meat case. If they suddenly get a call saying product won’t be delivered tomorrow or this week, it will create very significant challenges,” Steiner explained.

The attack could also “limit the availability of pork supply and drive up pork prices in the short term,” Steiner said. The group noted that “we believe this is a significant problem, but much will depend on how long the disruption persists.”

Steve Meyer, an economist with commodities firm Kerns and Associates, agreed that a one- or two-day disruption could send wholesale meat prices soaring. But if the problem is resolved in a few days, he said, restaurants and grocery stores are unlikely to pass those costs on to consumers.

“They would probably absorb those in the short term,” Meyer said. “Provided there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

If it takes longer to get back to normal, say a couple of weeks, customers may start to feel the impact.

“Then there will probably be some buyers, whoever relies on JBS for their supplies, who will probably face product shortages,” he said. In that case, for consumers, it would depend on where their local store gets their meat. “If they buy it from JBS, you may see some shortages. If they don’t buy it from JBS, you may not see anything at all.”

‘We are very concerned’

One restaurant has already changed its offerings due to the cyberattack. Evans Barbeque Company in Villa Rica, Georgia, said in a Facebook post Tuesday that it will no longer accept bulk orders for pork beyond this week due to uncertainty over supply.

Before the pandemic, Americans may have been surprised at the idea of a meat shortage. But the past year exposed the limitations of the country’s meat supply chain, which is highly concentrated among a handful of suppliers, including JBS USA. Early in the pandemic, workers fell ill at crowded meatpacking facilities, causing plants to temporarily close their doors. The disruption sent prices soaring and led to shortages.

Now, the prospect of more shortages could set off alarm bells for consumers, especially since they have already been paying more for meat: meat prices rose 6.1% during the 17 weeks ended May 1 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the latest figures from NielsenIQ, which tracks retailers’ point-of-sale data. Chicken prices were up 4% and pork prices were up 2.6%.

Rising commodity prices and shipping costs have strained the supply of feed ingredient chains around the world. With a 70% protein deficit, the European Union must import expensive protein sources from around the world. But now it appears that economic pressure is pushing the EU to reconsider the existing bans on Processed Animal Proteins (PAP) – like feed grade poultry by-product meal – a change that will supply some of the demand for protein from local sources. This change seems to come far sooner than even lobby groups involved in the matter had anticipated. While we wait to see whether conferences return in full force, we can be sure that the approval of PAPs by the EU would fundamentally change the balance of feed ingredients supply and demand around the world.

Vitamin E50

Last week, DSM reported that the production of key Vitamin E50 intermediates at its Yimante facility have now resumed following an incident at the end of April. This was preceded by a price increase from NHU for Vitamin E that got customers around the world to source material and increase interest on Glowlit for the product.

Glowlit data shows that the global price of Vitamin E50 has increased 23.5% since April 19^th. As production increases, we’re waiting to see whether this price trend is sustained or when it will reverse.