Paris | Reuters — A heatwave in Western Europe is adding to stress on wheat crops after a dry end to spring and reducing what had been very high yield potential only a month ago. Record temperatures for early July at around 40 C in parts of France unnerved traders in the European Union’s top […] Read more
Baking, parched fields set to trim EU wheat harvest
Russia’s winter grains still at risk despite warm weather – analyst
* Warm November to help Russia’s winter grains – SovEcon * Says some farmers hold crops due to the falling rouble * SovEcon sees Nov. grain exports at 3.0-3.2 mln T Paris/Moscow / Reuters – Warm weather last week did not eliminate risks for Russia’s fragile winter grain plantings, said a Moscow-based agriculture consultancy SovEcon, warning […] Read more
Lilly eyes emerging markets in Novartis animal health deal
Paris | Reuters — The purchase of Novartis’ animal health business will strengthen Eli Lilly’s hand in emerging markets, tapping into growing demand there for protein-rich diets and household treatments for pets, a senior executive at the U.S. group said. As part of a multi-billion dollar revamp announced earlier on Tuesday, Swiss drugmaker Novartis said […] Read more
France seeks lost wheat protein; exporter ranking at stake
The lowest level of protein in French wheat for years has drawn the government into a debate on tackling a decline in crop quality that producers and traders fear will cost the European Union’s top exporter lucrative overseas sales. Protein content is a basic measure of wheat’s suitability for making bread and a key requirement […] Read more
France clears use of frozen funds to export food to Syria
France has cleared the use of frozen Syrian bank assets to fund the export of food to the country as part of a European Union system that allows such funds to be used for humanitarian ends, a spokeswoman at the French trade ministry said. The EU, U.S. and other Western countries have imposed sanctions on […] Read more
French durum exporters scale up to meet Canadian competition
French durum wheat producers aim to expand exports through a trading joint venture in a riposte to expected stiffer competition from Canada, the world’s top exporter of the pasta ingredient, the head of the French venture said. The ending last year of the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing monopoly in Western Canada has shaken up the […] Read more
French farmers protest rules limiting nitrate pollution
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters / French farmers are protesting what they see as burdensome environmental regulations linked to European Union targets on water quality. Environmental rules have become a major grievance in recent years for French farmers, who blame such measures for eroding their competitiveness. Last week’s protests, including a pre-dawn street blockade near the Farm Ministry in […] Read more
Brazil threatens WTO action over BSE restrictions
The world’s top beef exporter, Brazil, will give countries that curbed imports of its beef after a case of BSE until March to drop the measures, or it will file a complaint at the World Trade Organization, farm ministry officials said. Five countries have implemented full or partial bans on Brazilian beef imports since confirmation […] Read more
French seed company backs away from plan to field test GM corn
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters / French seed company Vilmorin & Cie SA has dropped plans to conduct field tests of genetically modified crops next year because debate over the technology remains too highly charged. “The political climate led us to put the question on hold for now,” said Daniel Jacquemond, the company’s finance director. “We don’t want to […] Read more
France calls emergency G20 ag meeting for mid-October
France has called an emergency meeting of G20 farm ministers for mid-October to discuss curbing price swings on grain markets, the French president’s office said, after a year of drought and record prices renewed fears of a crisis in food supplies. France currently presides over a grains body created last year under the Group of […] Read more
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