Agriculture

• Friday, August 24th 2018 - 08:32 UTC

  African swine fever in China: fourth outbreak in a 2.000kms radius in three weeks

  

  China which is home to the world’s largest pig herd, reported its fourth outbreak of the deadly African swine fever on Thursday, with more than 400 pigs infected as the disease entered a fourth province, fanning worries about its rapid spread. The infection killed 340 hogs on three farms in the coastal city of Wenzhou in eastern Zhejiang province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said in a statement.

• Friday, August 24th 2018 - 08:16 UTC

  Monsanto glyphosate weed killer could cost Bayer billions in damage lawsuits

  

  United States agro-chemicals company Monsanto is facing a surge in lawsuits that may cost its new owners, Bayer, billions in damages. Monsanto manufactures glyphosate-based weed killers which some believe are carcinogenic. Last month it lost a US$ 289m court case that alleged its products Roundup and RangerPro had led to a Californian man's terminal cancer.

• Thursday, August 23rd 2018 - 08:45 UTC

  Brazil forecasted to expand soybean acreage to a new record

  

  Brazilian farmers were forecast to expand the country’s soybean planted area for the 12th consecutive year amid strong demand from Asia and in spite of risks related to the exchange rate and higher freight costs. Brazil is likely to expand the area to a record 36.28 million hectares this season, which farmers will start planting around September, a 3.2% expansion from the previous cycle based on government data.

• Tuesday, August 21st 2018 - 08:04 UTC

  Emus flock to towns as Australia continues to struggle with extreme drought

  

  Large numbers of emus have been flocking to an outback mining town in New South Wales as Australia continues to struggle with extreme drought. The flightless birds are desperately searching for food and water in Broken Hill, local animal rescue services say.

• Saturday, August 18th 2018 - 08:00 UTC

  Holland opens its first self recycle offshore dairy farm in the port of Rotterdam

  

  The world's first offshore dairy farm opens in the Port of Rotterdam this year, with the aim of helping the city produce more of its own food sustainably. A Dutch property company, Beladon, is launching the world's first “floating farm” in a city port.

• Saturday, August 18th 2018 - 06:50 UTC

  Brazil's premium on ethanol will have India become the world's largest sugar producer

  

  Brazil will likely step down to become the world's second-largest sugar producer on low global sugar prices and higher profitability and strong demand for ethanol, according to a report by Brazilian consulting company JOB Economia e Planejamento.

• Friday, August 17th 2018 - 10:10 UTC

  Eliminating glyphosate would be a “disaster” for Brazilian agriculture

  

  A potential ban on the popular herbicide glyphosate in Brazil over concerns it may cause cancer in humans would be a “disaster” for the country’s agricultural industry, Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said on Thursday.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 22:42 UTC

  Brazil corn production next season could reach a first time 100m tons

  

  Brazilian farmers are expected to plant a record amount of soybean acres this coming season, encouraged by strong demand from China, and yield a record harvest next year, consultancy Céleres said in its first forecast for the new cycle. The next crop cycle in Brazil, the world's No. 1 soybean exporter, begins in September.

• Wednesday, August 15th 2018 - 07:03 UTC

  Argentina: tax cuts on soy meal and soy oil exports suspended six months

  

  Argentina has suspended for six months its program of gradually cutting taxes on exports of soymeal and soyoil, the Treasury Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, part of the government’s fiscal tightening program. International shipments of both soy products are currently taxed at 23%, lowered gradually from 32% in 2015, the statement said.

• Tuesday, August 14th 2018 - 07:01 UTC

  Weed killer forces Bayer shares to drop sharply

  

  Shares in German pharmaceutical group Bayer have dropped sharply following a US verdict linking a product to cancer. By mid-morning on Monday, Bayer's shares had lost 10.4% of their value.