Agriculture

• Wednesday, July 29th 2020 - 08:21 UTC

  Declination of wild bees threatens pollination and farm productivity

  

  Wild bees are worth some US$ 1.5 billion to key fruit and vegetable crops in North America, according to new research that warned declines in these pollinators threatens the productivity of economically important agriculture.

• Wednesday, July 29th 2020 - 07:44 UTC

  Covid-19 in Argentine grains terminals and processing plants affecting operations

  

  Argentina has reported its first cases of Covid-19 at port terminals that ship soy meal and oil to the world in a fresh blow to the global commodities trade already disrupted by the pandemic.

• Monday, July 27th 2020 - 09:13 UTC

  Brazil soy bean exports to China soar to a record high in June: 10.1 million tons

  

  China's soya bean imports in June from top supplier Brazil soared to a record high, according to customs data released on Sunday, driven by growing demand for soya beans as China's pig herd recovers after deadly outbreaks of African swine fever.

• Thursday, July 23rd 2020 - 07:47 UTC

  Germany introduces strict measures in staff contracting for industrial abattoirs

  

  Germany is introducing a new law compelling meatpackers to employ staff directly in industrial abattoirs rather than sub-contracting to avert further coronavirus outbreaks exacerbated by poor working conditions, a draft law showed on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, July 22nd 2020 - 08:00 UTC

  Parana river insufficient water level benefitted exports from Brazilian ports

  

  Due to the Paraná river drought, which affected Argentina’s soy oil-exporting capacity, Cattalini Terminais Marítimos, which handles almost 70% of Brazil’s soy oil exports through its facilities in the port of Paranaguá, predicts a 25% increase in shipments this year.

• Tuesday, July 21st 2020 - 08:50 UTC

  A fifth of Brazilian soy exports to EU may have come from illegally deforested land

  

  A study published by Science magazine on July 16 indicated that a fifth of Brazilian soy imports received by the European Union may come from land that has been illegally deforested.

• Monday, July 20th 2020 - 09:25 UTC

  JBS installs “ultraviolet germicidal” ventilation to combat Covid-19 in slaughterhouses

  

  One of the world's largest meatpackers said they have installed ultraviolet air cleaning equipment in some US plants, as pressure mounts on food companies to protect workers amid growing concerns about airborne transmission of the coronavirus.

• Monday, July 20th 2020 - 08:24 UTC

  Brazilian meat plants perfect “coronavirus breeding centers”, according to Labor Ministry

  

  Meat plants have been a major factor in the spread of coronavirus in at least three different regions of Brazil, according to the country’s experts. According to the new study conducted by the federal prosecution department the Public Ministry of Labour (MPT), the conditions at the meat plants have directly contributed towards the rapid transmission of the virus.

• Saturday, July 18th 2020 - 09:00 UTC

  Brazilian orange juice exports totaled 1,07 million tons in 2019/20 harvest

  

  Brazilian orange juice exports registered a total volume of 1.07 million tons during the 2019/2020 harvest – an increase of 17% compared to the previous harvest, when 920,029 tons were shipped.

• Friday, July 17th 2020 - 07:49 UTC

  Argentine minister pledges no plans to increase grains export taxes

  

  Argentina does not plan to increase grains export taxes despite the government’s need for revenue as the coronavirus pushes the country into a deep recession this year, Agriculture Minister Luis Basterra said this week.