World

Canada is managing to weather the current global economic crisis much better than many other G7 countries, with most facing the prospects of recession.

The persistent shortage of agricultural chemicals in the US is threatening crop yields, as farmers reduce the use of common weedkillers, search for substitutes for fungicides, and adapt production plans.

The way in which India balances its domestic rice needs against exports could help that country redeem itself after its ban on wheat exports last month.

In a market that produces almost 700 million pigs a year, breeding pigs that have larger litters, reach slaughter weight quicker and require less feed can make a big difference.

Protesting about delays in the implementation of the protected designation of origin product (PDO) status for halloumi cheese, goat and sheep farmers in Cyprus recently burnt bales of hay and poured milk on the road outside the island’s presidential palace.

As the world grapples with supply chain disruptions due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the agriculture department in France has warned that the unusually low winter rainfall will negatively affect crop yields there.

The US government’s goal of using conservation land to help slow global warming by sequestering carbon in plants and the soil is being complicated by farmers reintroducing crop production on such land.

The global edible oil market has reacted with shock to Indonesia’s unexpected ban on palm oil exports in the week of 25 April.

Although a bill was passed by the US House of Representatives on 1 April to end that country’s federal ban on the recreational use of marijuana, it is not expected that the bill will be passed by the Senate.

One of Southeast Asia’s poorest countries, Laos, has been battling a growing rat problem for more than a decade, with these rodents destroying rice crops, the country’s main cash crop and staple food.

With the number of cullings having reached more than 12 million birds in the first week of April, France is facing its worst outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) ever, fuelled by the highly contagious H5N1 virus.

The reality of current reduced household budgets in Australia is being reflected in the demand for free-range eggs in that country. While daily egg consumption in Australia has reached 17 million, the preference for free-range eggs is no longer rising.