Elizabeth Schroeder
India’s anti-farm law protests continue amid COVID-19 surge
The tens of thousands of farmers in India who have been protesting against new agricultural laws are seemingly undeterred by the second, more devastating wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in that country.
US farming machinery supply under pressure
Disruptions to global supply chains have resulted in a shortage of the steel, plastics, microchips and tires that US machinery manufacturers need to produce tractors and combine harvesters.
French government steps in to assist frost-ravaged farmers
The French government will increase the upper claim limits of the country’s agriculture catastrophe fund to compensate farmers for the recent extensive damage suffered to their crops due to unexpected cold weather.
African swine fever takes new toll on China’s pig herd
At least 20% of the breeding herd in northern China have been wiped out by a new wave of African swine fever outbreaks this year.
Australian farmers reeling from natural disasters
The La Niña weather phenomenon that brought six months of heavier than usual rainfall and lower than average temperatures to the east coast of Australia has come to an end.
Global edible oil price rally nearing its peak
A combination of production challenges has resulted in vegetable oil prices, such as palm and soya bean oil, reaching multi-year highs since 2020.
China to accelerate agri reform in the next five years
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has released a policy document in which it outlines a five-year plan from 2021 to 2025 of how it aims to boost the development of rural industries.
Global coffee market expected to remain stable in 2021
Although global coffee exports fell 3,4% year-on-year in January to 10,21 million bags, total exports for the first four months of the 2020/2021 season, which runs from October to September, was 3,7% higher, according to the International Coffee Organisation (ICO).
Livestock shipping ethics again in the spotlight
More than 850 head of cattle are to be culled after spending more than two months aboard a ship adrift in the Mediterranean Sea, as they are no longer deemed fit to be transported to their destination, according to Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Weak appetite for Bill Gates’s lab-grown meat solution
US Billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates’s solution to an impeding climate change disaster, which involves switching from consuming real meat to consuming synthetic meat, has been met with strong reactions from many quarters.
US cannabis stocks start the year on a high
Cannabis stocks in the US started the year on a high with producers in the US and Canada issuing stocks worth US$1,38 billion [about R20 billion] in the first five weeks of 2021.
UN highlights vulnerabilities in global food chain
Vulnerabilities in the global food supply system have been exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have led to concerns from global leaders about famine and mass migration.
Malaysia files dispute with WTO over EU palm biofuel curbs
Malaysia is in the process of instituting legal action at the global trade watchdog, the World Trade Organization (WTO), against the EU and member states France and Lithuania, in particular, for restricting palm oil-based biofuel production. This was according to a recent statement by the Malaysian government.
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 would protect smaller farmers.
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 at the first of 21 buildings on its new pig farm in Neixiang county, Henan province, during September.
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 that carry the disease in the animals.
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 intelligence (AI).
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 from environmental organisations for not going far enough.
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