US farmers concerned about mass deportation threats
The mass deportations threatened by US president-elect Donald Trump could deal a serious blow to that country’s agriculture sector, which is already struggling with severe labour shortages.
World food prices hit 18-month high
Bolstered primarily by vegetable oil prices, global food prices rose sharply in October to reach an 18-month high. This is according to data recently released by the UN’s Food and...
COP29 finance talks off to a shaky start
As the world gathers in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), climate change financing and mitigation seems more uncertain than ever.
First-ever bird flu case in pigs raises concern in the US
Scientists in the US have expressed concern about the detection of the first case of H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) flu in a pig in that country.
Worst year since 2007 for US maize farmers
The US Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book report published on 30 October has indicated that maize farmers could be experiencing their worst year in almost 20 years.
Can automation alleviate labour shortages on US farms?
A declining interest in farming along with an ageing farmer population in the US have been cited as among the many reasons for the significant shortage of workers in the...
Hurricane Helene wreaks havoc across south-eastern US farms
Hurricane Helene has left farmers across the south-eastern US with significant damage to cotton fields and pecan nut orchards, among other losses.
Rising US dairy prices set to reverse declining producer profits
The trend of declining margins for US dairy farmers are being reversed, due to rising dairy and milk prices in that country.
Farming tops list as most dangerous job in UK
Farming is the most dangerous profession in the UK, according to figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on 26 August to coincide with Farm Safety Week.
US meat industry pushes back on ‘price-gouging’ plan
Trade groups in the US are pushing back against a plan announced by Vice-President Kamala Harris to place a federal ban on “price gouging” in the grocery industry.
Movement of goats and sheep banned in Greece due to ‘goat plague’
The authorities in Greece have imposed a ban on the movement of sheep and goats from farms in an attempt to contain an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants (PPR).
Farmers in western US battle locust swarms
There have been reports of widespread locust and Mormon cricket infestations in at least seven states in the western US.
US farm culls 1,8 million chickens after bird flu outbreak
Almost 1,8 million chickens in Colorado in the US were culled following a serious outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza on a commercial layer farm, prompting authorities there to declare...
Northern Ireland farm income declines 44% in 2023
The average farm income in Northern Ireland is expected to fall 46% in the 2023/4 financial year to about £27 345 (about R636 912), down from about £51 043 (R1...
Proposal to address ‘unfair practices’ in US livestock markets
A new proposal by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has outlined a framework clarifying how competition rules will be enforced in that country’s meat industry.
Danish government to impose world’s first carbon tax on cattle
Following a wide-ranging compromise reached with farmers, industry leaders, labour unions and environmental groups, the Danish government has announced the introduction of a tax on livestock carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions...
Land degradation threatens global food security, UN experts
Extreme weather is resulting in degraded land in some parts of the world being pushed beyond use. In some of the most deprived regions around the globe, this is reaching...
Can increased export demand rescue the US pork industry?
With domestic consumption of pork in the US declining sharply, experts are hoping that increased demand from Mexico and other trading partners could strengthen prices.
World’s most expensive cow sets new Guinness World Record
Viatina-19 FIV Mara Movéis, a three-year-old Nelore cow from Brazil, valued at US$4 million (around R75 million), has been named by Guinness World Records as the most expensive cow ever...
EU dairy farmers protest against low milk prices
A group of European farmers staged a protest in Brussels, Belgium, to demand the introduction of legislation to ban the sale of dairy products at prices below production costs.
