Germany’s Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt. (Thomas Imo photo, Bmel.de)

Germany’s Merkel scolds ally in glyphosate row

Berlin | Reuters — German Chancellor Angela Merkel scolded a minister on Tuesday in a bid to shield talks on forming a coalition government from a dispute between cabinet colleagues over an EU herbicide licence. Conservative Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt angered the centre-left SPD on Monday by breaking protocol to back a European Union proposal […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Germany swings EU vote in favour of glyphosate

Brussels | Reuters — Germany defeated its key EU ally France in a very tight vote on Monday to clear the use of glyphosate herbicide for the next five years after a heated debate over whether it causes cancer. After months of indecisive votes among the 28 member states in Brussels, Germany, whose Chancellor Angela […] Read more

(ManitobaPork.com)

Canada untangles pork label rule for EU export

A domestic technical obstacle has been cleared out of Canadian pork’s export path to the European Union, the Canadian Pork Council said Friday. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency last week made changes to its Manual of Procedures, which will allow pork packers to apply health mark labels after pork has been frozen, the council said. […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

EU delays decision on glyphosate

Brussels | Reuters — EU countries failed on Wednesday to vote on a licence extension for glyphosate, delaying again a decision on the widely used herbicide that critics say could cause cancer. The European Commission said in a statement the relevant committee did not hold a vote at a meeting and that it would announce […] Read more

(CIA.gov)

Britain reported looking to NAFTA if Brexit deal fails

London | Reuters — Britain could join a formal trade alliance with the United States, Canada and Mexico if the European Union refuses to clinch a post-Brexit trade deal, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said British ministers were looking at joining the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as part of […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

EU, Canada settle cattle battle at the WTO

Geneva | Reuters — The European Union and Canada have ended a 21-year dispute over hormone-treated meat after agreeing a wider trade agreement, they said in a filing published by the World Trade Organization on Tuesday. The settlement of the dispute at the WTO, which began in 1996, was facilitated by a liberalization of trade […] Read more

(Cia.gov)

China delays deadline for implementing food import rules

Beijing | Reuters — China plans to delay a deadline for implementing new food import regulations by two years until October 2019, a senior EU official said on Tuesday, following a lobbying effort by Europe and the U.S. amid concerns about disruption to trade. The extension comes just days before the new rules, which are […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

France open to phasing out glyphosate

Paris | Reuters — France is open to phasing out common weedkiller glyphosate, the government said on Monday, following complaints from farmers worried about a potential imminent ban. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe reiterated Paris would vote against the European Commission’s proposal to extend for 10 years the licence for glyphosate, which is used in Monsanto’s […] Read more


(Bayer.com)

Bayer says needs more time for Monsanto deal approval

Monheim, Germany | Reuters — German drugs and pesticides group Bayer said Tuesday it was now likely to be early next year before it can complete its US$66 billion deal to acquire U.S. group Monsanto, later than previously expected. The European Commission has been scrutinizing the proposed takeover with a deadline of Jan. 8 but […] Read more

(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

EU summit sought over major egg contamination scare

Brussels | Reuters –– The European Commissioner in charge of food safety has called for a meeting of ministers and national regulatory agencies to discuss a widespread European contamination scare, which has seen shops remove millions of eggs from sale. Tensions have risen between agricultural ministers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany after traces of […] Read more