Mixed reaction to Mexico’s banning of GM maize
Mexico’s main agricultural lobby, the National Agricultural Council, has criticised the government’s decision to ban genetically modified (GM) maize, while organic growers hailed the move in the hope that it...
Palm oil alternative investments could help save rainforests
Players in the international biotech industry have been working on a synthetic alternative to palm oil in an attempt to replace natural palm oil in various products.
World’s largest pig farm aims to produce 2 million hogs a year
Chinese pig producer Muyuan Foods grew its profits by 1 413% in the first nine months of 2020 to 21 billion yuan (about R48 billion), after the company started operations...
Large-scale culling of COVID-19 mink shrouded in controversy
Russia has announced that the country’s agricultural ministry will proactively vaccinate its mink population against COVID-19 after several European countries as well as the US identified cases of the virus...
Deregulation in India met with mixed response from farmers
Following the recent controversial deregulation of the agriculture industry in India, agri-tech entrepreneurs are flooding the market with apps to connect farmers to larger-scale buyers through the use of artificial...
Belgian racing pigeon sells for record price of R29 million
A two-year-old Belgian racing pigeon named New Kim has fetched a record price of €1,6 million (about R29,2 million) during an online auction held by racing pigeon auction house PIPA...
Concern over ageing farmer population in Europe
Agricultural policy-makers in the EU have expressed concern about the ageing agricultural population, with the average age of occupiers of farms in the bloc continuing to rise.
Lobby groups and farmers criticise changes to EU farm bill
A recent decision by EU agriculture ministers to set aside a portion of the bloc's common agricultural policy (CAP) budget for programmes that protect the environment has come under fire...
R6 billion investment boosts world’s largest insect farm
A recent investment of US$372 million (about R6,14 billion) will allow French company, Ÿnsect, to complete its new insect farming enterprise.
Dry weather conditions put pressure on global wheat supply
There is mounting concern about global wheat supplies, as dry weather conditions persist in the Black Sea region, the US and Australia, sending international wheat prices skyrocketing to a near...
Farmer suicide rates increase as pressures on sector mounts
No farmer wants to be the person who loses the multi-generational farm. This was according to Prof Joan Mazur, deputy director of the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury...
Strong resistance to new Indonesian peatland mega farms
Indonesia has started the development of a controversial new, large-scale food estate where rice, maize and other crops will be grown in an effort to mitigate the country's reliance on...
‘Mini EU trade deal’ brings relief for US lobster exporters
Despite a recent agreement between the EU and the US on lobster tariffs, it is unlikely to be followed soon by similar accords, given transatlantic differences about agriculture, EU vice-president...
Land-use change drives drastic biodiversity decline – report
The biodiversity cost of the world’s expanding population and economic output has been significant. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) ‘Living Planet Report 2020’, which was published...
China bans German pork imports in response to disease threat
Chinese and South Korean authorities have announced that pork imports from Germany will be banned after the first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed there in the second...
World’s most expensive sheep sold for over R8 million
"We knew it was going to be something really special. He was just an outstanding animal, backed up by all the best genetics. There were about seven or eight people...
Seaweed farming set to grow exponentially
The global agriculture sector has been undergoing a radical transformation in recent years, and researchers around the world are increasingly looking at alternative farming opportunities, such as seaweed farming and...
World’s largest agri robot being tested in the US
Researchers from Rothamsted Research, headquartered in the UK, are currently testing the latest in artificial intelligence for farming, the world’s largest agricultural robot called the Field Scanalyzer.
Record production puts pressure on global grain prices
US grain and oilseed prices traded slightly lower during trade in the first week of August as global forecasts predicted a record global grain crop.
Researchers work to develop low-methane beef
In recent times, beef farmers around the world have increasingly come under fire from environmental organisations claiming that methane emissions from cattle pose serious consequences for the environment.
ADVERTISEMENT
MUST READS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
