Brussels | Reuters — The European Union on Monday adopted quotas for farming produce it will accept from third countries after Britain leaves the bloc and acknowledged this could happen before it has concluded talks with them on the subject. The EU has in place a series of tariff rate quotas, allowing agricultural producers such […] Read more

EU adopts post-Brexit import quotas for farm produce

Britain faces fresh food bottleneck if no Brexit deal
London | Reuters — Britain faces a fresh food bottleneck if it drops out of the EU without a deal, the country’s largest supermarket group warned on Thursday, echoing comments from its biggest rival the previous day. As the country counts down to Brexit while politicians remain deadlocked over how best to oversee its departure […] Read more

Scotland identifies ‘classical’ BSE case
London | Reuters — Scotland’s government said on Thursday that a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) had been discovered on a farm in Aberdeenshire, the first in Britain since 2015. A quarantine area has been put in place around the farm while inspectors try to identify the origin of the disease. “I have activated […] Read more

Britain outlines post-Brexit farm policy in bill
London | Reuters –– Britain will introduce legislation on Wednesday for agricultural policy after it leaves the European Union that will link support for farmers to the provision of public benefits such as tackling climate change or preserving beautiful landscapes. The Agriculture Bill, primarily covering England, will provide the basis for policy in a sector […] Read more

France to the rescue as drought hits EU barley crop
Hamburg | Reuters — Drought has seriously damaged barley harvests in northern Europe, potentially tightening supplies of animal feed and malt for beer brewing, but a decent crop in France could save the day, experts said on Thursday. “There are painful crop losses in Germany, Poland, Britain and Scandinavia,” one German trader said. “The volume […] Read more

KFC closes most U.K. stores due to chicken shortage
London | Reuters — Fast-food chain KFC said on Monday it had been forced to close hundreds of its British stores because of a shortage of chicken. The problem arose at the weekend after the chain switched its delivery contract to DHL, forcing the majority of its 900 outlets in Britain to shut. “We’ve brought […] Read more

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

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

Canada expects Britain to be part of CETA
London | Reuters –– Canada expects Britain to be part of the CETA trade deal between Canada and the European Union, and stands ready to work with Britain on how the system will function after Brexit, Finance Minister Bill Morneau told BBC radio on Wednesday. He also defended Canada’s NAFTA trade deal with the U.S. […] Read more

Long-term U.K. study links neonics to wild bee declines
London | Reuters — Wild bees that forage from oilseed rape crops treated with insecticides known as neonicotinoids are more likely to undergo long-term population declines than bees that forage from other sources, according to the findings of an 18-year study. The new research covered 62 species of bee found in the wild in Britain […] Read more