Agriculture

Wednesday, January 30th 2019 - 09:56 UTC
US farm lobbies want a post-Brexit UK food quality standard lowered

United States lobby groups for agriculture and pharmaceutical firms want UK standards changed to be closer to those of the US in a post-Brexit trade deal. The meat lobby wants the sale of growth hormone-fed beef, currently banned in the UK and EU, to be allowed in the UK.
Tuesday, January 29th 2019 - 10:19 UTC
EU quotas for farming produce post Brexit trigger controversy

The European Union on Monday adopted quotas for farming produce it will accept from third countries after Britain leaves the bloc and acknowledged this could happen before it has concluded talks with them on the subject.
Tuesday, January 29th 2019 - 09:31 UTC
African swine fever scare in Europe; Denmark builds a 70km fence in the border with Germany

Denmark has started building a 70km fence along its border with Germany in an effort to control the migration of wild boar. There are fears that African swine fever, which has been found in two dead wild boars in Belgium, could threaten Denmark's huge pig industry. If the disease spreads, it could jeopardize almost US$ 1.7bn in pork-product exports from Denmark.
Monday, January 28th 2019 - 08:32 UTC
Brazil's corn and soybeans January exports booming

Brazil is poised to export more corn than soybeans for the first time in a year this January, although sales of the oilseed remain high for the period, according to government and shipping data.
Thursday, January 24th 2019 - 09:12 UTC
Saudi Arabia limits imports from a number of Brazilian chicken processing plants

Saudi Arabia has barred five Brazilian chicken processing plants from exporting to the Middle Eastern country, leaving 25 with valid export permits, Brazil’s meat trade association ABPA said, citing “technical” reasons. The Saudi move threw up a fresh hurdle for top exporter BRF SA and its rivals just a day after an anti-dumping dispute with China was resolved.
Tuesday, January 22nd 2019 - 10:09 UTC
Brazilian 2019 coffee production forecasted to decline 11.5/18%

Brazilian food supply and statistics agency Conab has reported that Brazil’s coffee production is expected to decline in 2019 to between 50.48 and 54.48 million bags. Conab attributes the 11.5 to 18% drop from the 61.65 million bags the agency reported for the year prior to Brazil’s coffee plants recovering from an increased output in 2018, which is affecting Arabica in particular.
Tuesday, January 22nd 2019 - 10:06 UTC
Beware EU consumers: scheme to sell horse meat lasagna

Four people are going on trial in Paris over an alleged scheme that fed consumers across Europe frozen foods containing cheap horse meat fraudulently labelled as pricier beef.
Saturday, January 19th 2019 - 09:36 UTC
Brazil plans a self-monitoring system for food processors, despite a non-encouraging record

Brazil is moving toward a self-monitoring system for food processors, Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias said on Friday, including meatpackers still recovering from an inspection scandal that hurt trade with key markets. Dias said in an interview that Brazil's new business-friendly government plans to send draft legislation on self-monitoring to Congress in the first half of this year.
Saturday, January 19th 2019 - 09:22 UTC
Extreme wet January displaces thousands and floods farmland in Mercosur member countries

Intense rainfall in northeast Argentina and neighbouring areas in Mercosur members has caused devastating floods, amplifying the economic burdens of Argentina's recession. Over 5,000 people have evacuated the region, and millions of hectares of crops have been sent underwater.
Friday, January 18th 2019 - 10:19 UTC
Doubts about Brazil's real soybean production estimate because of adverse weather

Analysts are casting doubt on the Brazilian government’s soybean production estimate. Conab, the government’s food supply and statistics agency, recently issued a forecast for 118.8 million tons of production, only slightly smaller than last year’s record 119.4 million tons.