Brussels | Reuters — EU nations refused to back a limited extension of the herbicide glyphosate’s use on Monday, threatening withdrawal of Monsanto’s Roundup and other weed-killers from shelves if no decision is reached by the end of the month. Contradictory findings on carcinogenic risks have thrust the chemical into the centre of a dispute […] Read more
EU countries refuse to back new licence for glyphosate
EU delays vote on glyphosate license amid cancer row
Brussels | Reuters — The European Union on Thursday delayed a vote on renewing sales approval for the herbicide glyphosate, used in Monsanto’s Roundup, amid a transatlantic row over whether it may cause cancer. Experts from the EU’s 28 nations had been due to vote on a proposal to extend by nine years licensing of […] Read more
Ottawa plans talks toward dairy farmers’ CETA compensation
The federal government has pledged to meet with dairy sector representatives within 30 days to draw up a compensation plan for concessions made in Canada’s planned free trade pact with the European Union. “Our conversations will address, among other issues, transition support for producers and processors, as well as proposed program and investment options,” Agriculture […] Read more
France set to ban dimethoate-treated cherries
Paris | Reuters — France will stop importing cherries from countries that use insecticide dimethoate after banning the chemical due to concerns over consumer health risks, the French agriculture ministry said. At a meeting of European Union country representatives on Friday, Italy and Spain said they would also withdraw dimethoate from their markets, but France […] Read more
European Parliament backs glyphosate, with conditions
Brussels | Reuters — European politicians advised on Wednesday that the herbicide glyphosate should only be approved for another seven years, rather than the 15 proposed by the EU executive, and should not be used by the general public. Environmental campaigners have demanded a ban on glyphosate, which is used in products such as Monsanto’s […] Read more
Germany backs EU plan to approve glyphosate
Berlin | Reuters –– Germany plans to back an European Union proposal that would allow the continued use of glyphosate in herbicides, according to a letter from the agriculture ministry. Glyphosate is used in many herbicides including Monsanto’s Roundup, but has provoked a dispute between EU and U.N. agencies over whether it might cause cancers. […] Read more
EU food safety experts warn on crop insecticide
Brussels | Reuters –– Dimethoate, an insecticide widely used to protect crops such as cherries, could be harmful to humans, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which advises EU policymakers, said Tuesday. The report follows a request from France, which is calling for a Europe-wide ban of the substance made by companies including BASF and […] Read more
England’s farmland prices fall ahead of Brexit vote
London | Reuters –– Farmland prices in England fell by 3.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year — the largest quarterly decline since 2008, weighed partly by uncertainty ahead of the June 23 referendum on European Union membership, estate agent Knight Frank said. Knight Frank’s Farmland Index fell to 19,538 pounds (C$35,881) […] Read more
EU deal yet to bear fruit for Ukrainian exporters
Gorodok | Reuters — Ukraine’s Association Agreement with the European Union was meant to lure the bread basket of the former Soviet Union away from its longstanding ties with Russia by offering better access to the EU market. But debate about it was the spark that lit the Maidan street protests in 2013 and a […] Read more
Wine, foreign content now covered in organic pact with EU
The deal that clears Canadian-certified organic food for sale as organic in the European Union is now expanded to cover Canadian-processed products with some imported ingredients — and to include organic wine. Canada’s Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan on Thursday confirmed the expansion of scope for the EU-Canada Organic Equivalence […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
