Agriculture

• 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.

• Thursday, July 16th 2020 - 07:40 UTC

  Report on per capita carbon “food prints” criticizes beef and dairy consumption

  

  If everyone alive ate steaks and dairy the way Brazilians and Americans do, we would need an extra five planets to feed the world, according to the first report to compare the carbon emissions from food consumption in Group of Twenty (G20) nations, released on Thursday.

• Wednesday, July 15th 2020 - 08:32 UTC

  Nestlé and Cargill face demands from slave descendants of Ivory Coast cocoa farms

  

  The US Supreme Court will decide whether American corporations can be sued for alleged human rights abuses occurring abroad under a 1789 law, agreeing to hear appeals by two companies: Cargill Inc and a Nestle SA subsidiary: accused of knowingly helping perpetuate slavery at Ivory Coast cocoa farms.

• Thursday, July 9th 2020 - 08:59 UTC

  Polynesian sweet potato mystery solved: epic transoceanic journey to South America

  

  New genetic research shows that there was mingling between ancient native peoples from Polynesia and South America, revealing a single episode of interbreeding roughly 800 years ago after an epic transoceanic journey.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2020 - 07:33 UTC

  World 2020 cereal production forecasted to reach new record

  

  World cereal production is poised to reach a new record level of 2 790 million tons in 2020 - up 9.3 million tons from the May forecast - surpassing the record-high registered in 2019 by as much as 3%, according to FAO's Cereal Supply and Demand Brief.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2020 - 07:01 UTC

  Pandemic forecasted to usher highest retreat for global meat consumption

  

  The pandemic is poised to usher in the biggest retreat for global meat consumption in decades. Per capita consumption this year is set to fall to the lowest in nine years and the 3% drop from last year represents the biggest decline since at least 2000, according to data from the United Nations.

• Tuesday, July 7th 2020 - 09:10 UTC

  Dairy prices in June increased 4%, but beef is down because of larger export volumes

  In June, global food commodity prices rose for the first time since the beginning of the year driven by a rebound in vegetable oils, sugar and dairy quotations. However, in the cereals and meat markets, most prices remained under downward pressure amid market uncertainties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.