More efficient collaboration between the public and private sectors
is vital if genomic technology is to truly have an impact in
alleviating food insecurity and food shortages around the world.
Trade in organic products in France is now valued at almost $2
billion dollars and imports from non-EU countries continue to
increase, according to a USDA GAIN report.
Farmers around the world have joined forces to raise awareness
about the risks facing the planets food producing regions, as
climate change increasingly turns expanses of land into desert
areas.
The signature of the treaty on plant genetic resources for food and
agriculture marks a major step towards guaranteeing food security
in the world, according to the FAO.
The distribution of rice, the main staple of more than half the
world's population, will be the focus of debate at the upcoming
International Rice Commission meeting in Peru.
Two groups representing organic farmers are at loggerheads over the
release of a new report that claims to rate the nation's organic
dairy brands and products.
The aesthetic demands of food retailers is leading to the mass
standardisation of fruit and vegetable produce sold in supermarkets
and causing obscene amounts of food waste, according to a UK
pressure group.
The EU provides the largest amount of trade-distorting support to
farmersas measured by dollar value, with the US a distant second
and Japan adistant third, according to a report this month bythe US
government's Congressional...
A meeting of agricultural seed industry experts this week is
focusing on some countries' quarantine regulations, which they say
are being used to hinder world trade.
The most recent forecast for this year's California almond crop
signals a decline on that reaped 12 months ago, heralding an almost
certain price rise, reports Philippa Nuttall.
Orange prices for fruit juice producers look destined to remain
high as March reveals yet another dip in the forecast for
production in Florida for the 2004-05 season.
A lack of government funding and a weary image threaten to cause a
widespread shortage of British crop production experts, says one
industry body, warning the problem may bring serious disruption to
UK grain and cereal processors...
Joining the heated debate on GM food crops and ingredients, a group
of agricultural experts, herded together under the UN-backed FAO,
declare an A to Z approach must be the only path for 'responsible
deployment' of GM crops.
The link between taste, and the production of a food crop, needs to
be explored, claim food scientists on the back of new research into
the widely consumed potato.
The best that Russian farming has to offer is on display this week
in Berlin at the 70th annual International Green Week exhibition.
For the third year in succession, the Russian Federation is the
largest exhibitor at the show, reflecting...
E-Fruitrace, a technology initiative funded under the EU's fifth
framework programme, has validated a Europe-wide Internet-based
solution for food producers.
This year's Czech harvest has been hailed as the best since 1993,
producing almost nine million tonnes of crops, showing that the
farming industry has recovered well from a poor 2003 and the
disastrous floods of 2002 - just in...
The UK government's rural adviser, Lord Haskins, has described the
financial implications of this year's awful weather as being more
damaging to arable farming than the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak
was to the livestock industry.
A major European food science body has asserted this week that
genetic modification has the potential to offer strong benefits -
quantity, quality and acceptability - for the world's food supply.
With the booming population of...
Law makers, consumer groups and industry continue to clash over the
use of GM ingredients in the European food chain, but a major
UK-based food science body asserts this week that genetic
modification has the potential to offer strong...
Organic seeds, the primary sources of organic ingredients, are the
focus of an FAO backed meeting that kicked off in Rome yesterday,
with the politically charged debate on co-existence between GM
crops and organics high on the agenda,...
Iran is hoping to be self-sufficient in the production of cooking
oils in the near future, an agriculture ministry official said
recently, reports Mena Report.
In the face of rising meat and dairy prices, animal disease
outbreaks and consumer health concerns, world agriculture policy
makers, meat traders, dairy experts, veterinarians and private
sector producers have attended the 20th session...
Researchers in the US are to investigate the link between livestock
wellbeing and the risk of foodborne disease, a move which could
have widespread implications for animal husbandry and food safety.
Transboundary animal diseases are on the increase, say the World
Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). As a result, both bodies
have decided to strengthen their...
Biotechnology could help farmers in developing countries
significantly improve their fortunes, but only a few are currently
able to benefit as many basic food crops are ignored by biotech
scientists, according to a report from the...
The USDA has released an informational compact disc for federal and
state agriculture vets. The move is designed to prevent the
intentional and unintentional introduction of animal diseases into
the nation's food production chain.
Despite the recent EU ruling against its GM Maize crops, Monsanto
has said that it is expecting the continued development of its
seeds and traits business will drive its mid-term growth.
Early last week the German government passed a bill codifying
European Union legislation for the cultivation and export of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into national law. Following
suit, the UK government seems set to give...
New research into the cultivation of cereals on semi-arid land
could lead to less fertiliser use, claim scientists in Spain who
looked into various production methods to up yield.
Grown in 113 countries and the staple food for over half the
world's population, rice is the globe's most popular food that
shapes religious festivals, customs, cuisine and celebrations. But
at a conference this week dedicated...
The European Parliament adopted an own initiative report on 11
February, calling on the Commission to focus more on the
sustainability of agriculture in the Sixth and Seventh Framework
Programmes, and not technology for food production,...
EU agriculture commissioner Franz Fischler has confirmed Hungary's
Operational Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Approved upon accession, the programme is part of a €422.8 million
investment which aims to make...
Throwing the cat among the pigeons, UK government advisors
confirmed yesterday that GM herbicide tolerant (HT) crops could
harm wildlife, including farmland birds.
Raising a hand for the pro-GM camp, UK scientists assert that there
is an ethical obligation to explore the benefits that genetically
modified crops could offer people in developing countries.
Measures to soften the impact of poor cereal harvests in Europe and
boost the grain market were introduced by Europe's agriculture
commissioner this week.
Ukraine has agreed to start imports of US poultry following a two-year ban. The hard-fought settlement was reached after months of tough negotiations between the two nations.
