Hamburg | Reuters – Drought and a heatwave that scorched fields in northern Europe may cut the European Union’s wheat export surplus and the bloc will need to consume more of its own grains, experts said on Friday. French analysts Strategie Grains forecast a 10 percent smaller EU soft wheat harvest this year, with northern […] Read more
Drought slashes EU wheat, export surplus to be cut
Straw prices soar, piling pressure on N.Europe livestock farmers
In some areas straw now more expensive than grains
Hamburg | London | Reuters – Livestock and dairy farmers across northern Europe are paying soaring prices for straw used in food and bedding for cattle, as hot, dry weather across the region reduces crops. The higher bills put further pressure on farmers already facing one of their toughest summers ever; many have had to […] Read more
U.K. farming minister seeks big changes to farm policy post-Brexit
Birmingham | Reuters –– Britain’s farm policy is set for a major shake-up when the country leaves the European Union because the current system is poor value for money, has too much red tape and provides few incentives to use the latest technologies, farming and environment minister Andrea Leadsom said Tuesday. Leadsom said she was […] Read more
Record crops to send grain stocks to all-time peak, IGC says
London | Reuters –– Global grain stocks are expected to surpass 500 million tonnes for the first time at the end of the 2016-17 season, the International Grains Council said on Thursday, raising its forecasts for both corn and wheat production. The intergovernmental body, in a monthly update, put total grain carryover stocks at the […] Read more
EU to give 500M euros to farmers hit by Russia sanctions
Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission announced a 500 million-euro (C$743 million) package of measures on Monday to provide relief for farmers stung by slumping prices, triggered partly by the loss of exports to Russia due to EU sanctions against the country. The crisis has triggered a wave of protests which culminated on Monday […] Read more
Threat of food crisis seen fading as grain stocks climb
London | Reuters — A sudden change in the weather no longer raises the spectre of a food price crisis, with grain stocks rebuilt and governments now paying much closer attention to agriculture, a senior United Nations economist said in an interview Monday. “The buffer is big and unexpected shortfalls can be met by (grain) […] Read more
Rapeseed crop may not be as big as first thought in W.Europe
London/Reuters — Rapeseed production in Western Europe looks set to increase this season but early promise may not be fully realized, crop analysts said on Wednesday. Crops were sown in favourable conditions, enjoyed a safe passage through winter and had healthy growth in the spring but yields have failed to meet expectations in both north-east […] Read more
U.K. floods pose threat to animal welfare, farm investment
London | Reuters — The immediate threat to British agriculture from floods and storms has put animal welfare in the spotlight, but in the long term increasingly erratic weather is likely deter investment despite continuing global growth in demand for food. Floods have destroyed cattle bedding and feed in flood-hit regions such as southwest England […] Read more
UK farm minister calls for EU to approve GM corn in vote
Britain’s farm minister called on the European Union to approve a strain of genetically modified maize in a vote later this month, saying such a move was supported by scientific evidence. “If approval is granted… then it will be the first GM food crop authorised for planting by the EU for 15 years,” Owen Paterson […] Read more
Quality concerns flare up as EU wheat harvest gathers pace
Worries about the quality of this year’s western European wheat crop are emerging, as harvest activity moves to a key growing belt in top producer France and gets underway in Germany. Grain experts are painting a mixed picture of projections with French production expected to at least match last year and larger harvests anticipated in […] Read more
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