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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, November 25th 2024 - 03:43 UTC

Agriculture

  • Saturday, April 28th 2018 - 10:22 UTC

    Bees victory: EU votes for a near total ban on insecticides

    Campaigners dressed in black and yellow bee suits rallied outside the headquarters of the EC in Brussels ahead of the vote for a ban on three key pesticide chemicals.(Pic AFP)

    European Union countries voted on Friday for a near-total ban on insecticides blamed for killing off bee populations, in what campaigners called a “beacon of hope” for the winged insects. Bees help pollinate 90 percent of the world’s major crops, but in recent years have been dying off from “colony collapse disorder,” a mysterious scourge blamed on mites, pesticides, virus, fungus, or a combination of these factors.

  • Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:46 UTC

    Trade skirmish: China halts purchases of US soybeans, gives priority to Brazil

    At stake are 3 million tons of soybeans - estimated worth about US$1.3 billion - for which deals have been signed but cargoes have yet to leave U.S. ports, traders say

    China’s purchases of U.S. soybeans have come to a grinding halt, trade and industry sources say, as fears of further action by Beijing to curb imports of U.S. crops following last week’s anti-dumping move on sorghum rattles the agriculture industry.

  • Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:37 UTC

    Outbreaks of FMD in swine farms in China and Korea

    The Korean outbreak was the first farm affected in Korea since February 2017 and an extensive vaccination campaign has been launched

    The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) posted a new global swine disease monitoring report on earlier this month, with information on Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) activity in China and Korea presenting the highest concern.

  • Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:31 UTC

    Brazil soybean planting forecast to break a record for the ninth year running

    The 2% increase in planted area in 2018-19 is due to expectations of higher process, greater demand from Chinese buyers, and an increase in domestic consumption

    Soybean planted area in Brazil is forecast to set a record for the ninth consecutive year at 35.8 million hectares, according to an April 24 Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

  • Wednesday, April 25th 2018 - 08:50 UTC

    Paraguay soy farmers hopeful newly elected Senate will not slap levy on exports

    Surveys had projected that the ruling Colorado Party could lose up to seven of the 20 seats it currently controls in the 45-member Senate.

    Paraguay's business-friendly ruling party lost fewer seats in Sunday's Senate election, than expected, ensuring strict fiscal policies while lessening chances of a tax hike on the key soy sector. Farmers in the world's No. 4 soybean exporter had feared that the new Senate might approves a measure, defeated last year, that would slap a 10% levy on exports.

  • Monday, April 23rd 2018 - 09:08 UTC

    EU and Mexico reach new trade agreement: tariff cuts for European cheese and pork

    “Mexico joins Canada, Japan and Singapore as partners willing to work with EU in defending open, fair and rules-based trade,” said EC Jean-Claude Juncker.

    The European Union and Mexico reached an agreement on Saturday on a new free trade deal, a coup for both parties in the face of increased protectionism from the United States under President Donald Trump. Since its plans for a trade alliance with the United States were frozen after Trump's election victory, the EU has focused instead on trying to champion open markets and seal accords with other like-minded countries.

  • Friday, April 20th 2018 - 09:08 UTC

    EU bans chicken imports from several suppliers in Brazil

    “I was in Europe last week and we were waiting for a definition of how many, if any plants, were going to be de-listed,” Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said

    Europe’s decision to ban meat imports from several Brazilian suppliers affects 30 to 35% of the country’s exports to the bloc and will force companies to find new markets while officials work to reverse the measure, Brazil’s Agriculture Minister said.

  • Friday, April 20th 2018 - 08:38 UTC

    First shipment of Argentine lemons to the US in 17 years

    “Let's send off the first truck, which will carry our produce to our brothers in the United States,” president Mauricio Macri said during an event in Tucuman.

    Argentina sent its first shipment of lemons to the United States in 17 years, a few months after President Donald Trump authorized citrus imports from the country.

  • Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 18:15 UTC

    US/China trade war reaches Midwest sorghum with tariffs of 178.6%

    Last year, Chinese buyers purchased more than 90% of the 245 million bushels of sorghum America exported.

    United States sorghum farmers fear they will lose their largest export market if China follows through with a tariff on their crop. China imposed preliminary anti-dumping tariffs of 178.6% on U.S. sorghum this week as part of its ongoing trade dispute with the U.S.

  • Thursday, April 19th 2018 - 08:48 UTC

    Brazil allows processors to resume chicken exports but EU considering a ban

    The Brazilian agriculture ministry’s decision may bring only temporary relief to the company, with exports from several BRF poultry plants facing a possible EU ban

    Brazil’s largest chicken processor BRF SA has been allowed to resume production at nine plants that export to the European Union, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Wednesday, a day before a potential EU ban related to a food safety scandal. The ministry clarified that one more plant had been cleared, referring to a firm appearing in the document as SHB Comércio e Indústria de Alimentos SA, which is also controlled by BRF.