Reading Time: 2 minutes A sharp fall in the quality of France's wheat crop due to excess rain will lead to additional costs for starch makers just as the industry is still suffering from low demand and increasing competition from imports
Starch makers forced to adapt after poor wheat crop in France
Dutch government plans to vaccinate poultry against bird flu
Two vaccines have proved effective in in research but haven't been tried on-farm
Reading Time: 2 minutes Bird flu vaccines for laying hens are effective in practice, the Dutch government said on Tuesday, while confirming plans to vaccinate poultry against the virus.
France revamps pesticide reduction plan in wake of farmer unrest
Reading Time: < 1 minute Paris | Reuters – France unveiled on Monday a revised plan to halve pesticide use in the European Union’s biggest agricultural producer, pledging to adopt an EU indicator and boost research into alternatives in a nod to grievances voiced in farmer protests this year. Why it’s important Environmental regulation was one of the main factors […] Read more
Wider bird flu spread raises concern for humans, animal health body says
Virus has spread to new regions, infected cats, tigers, bears, seals and other animals
Reading Time: 2 minutes The spread of bird flu to an increasing number of species and its widening geographic reach have raised the risks of humans being infected by the virus, the head of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Thursday.
French farmers prepare tough welcome for Macron at farm show
Demonstrations resume amid anger over costs, red tape, green regulations
Reading Time: 2 minutes French farmers were back on the streets of Paris on Friday, warning President Emmanuel Macron that he should expect a difficult welcome when he opens a major farm show on Saturday, amid anger over costs, red tape and green regulations.
Explainer: Why are French farmers protesting?
Many farmers feeling pinched by costs, imports, environmental regulations and disregarded by French society
Reading Time: 2 minutes French farmers are blocking roads across the country to demand government action to address numerous grievances, as protests in the European Union's agricultural sector spread. Here are some of the issues that have prompted the growing protest movement and how the government could respond.
French foie gras makers toast rising output after bird flu gloom
Canada, U.S., Japan ban French poultry imports since vaccination
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — French foie gras output is set to rise for the first time in five years in 2023 as France starts vaccinating ducks against bird flu that has destroyed flocks in recent years, but trade bans that followed will weigh on exports, producers said on Thursday. France has been among the countries […] Read more
U.S. working on limited bird flu vaccination for turkeys
No decision yet made, U.S. official says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — The United States is working on a bird flu vaccination scenario focusing on turkeys in the few states that gather the largest number of turkey farms, a move that would best meet a benefit-cost strategy, its chief veterinary officer said on Tuesday. However, no decision to vaccinate has yet been made, […] Read more
Animal health body backs bird flu vaccination to avoid pandemic
Vaccination should focus on free-range birds, WOAH chief says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — Governments should consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu, which has killed hundreds of millions of birds and infected mammals worldwide, to prevent the virus from turning into a new pandemic, the head of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said. The severity of the current outbreak of avian influenza, commonly […] Read more
Loss of Black Sea grain deal not seen as threat to global supplies, for now
Alternate routes exist but would be more expensive
Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — The end of the Black Sea grain deal would not pose an immediate threat to the world market as Ukraine would still be able to export supplies, although at such a high cost that production in the war-torn country would likely fall even further. Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the United Nations […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
