Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — A majority of EU countries voted on Monday against allowing two new genetically modified crops to be grown in Europe, batting the contentious decision on GM cultivation in Europe back to the EU executive. EU governments were asked to vote on the future of two grades of GM maize, Pioneer’s 1507 […] Read more
EU nations vote against GM crops, but not enough to block them
EU regulators said set to clear Dow, Syngenta deals next week
Reading Time: < 1 minute Brussels | Reuters — EU antitrust regulators are set to clear the US$130 billion Dow Chemical and DuPont merger and ChemChina’s US$43 billion bid for Syngenta next week, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The European Commission could announce its approvals for both companies at the same time either Monday or Tuesday, the people […] Read more
Brazil beef scandal leaves fewer options for global buyers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– Global beef buyers will likely need to cobble together supplies from several nations if a scandal persists in Brazil’s meat sector because supply constraints and politics are already limiting trade flows, market analysts said Monday. China suspended imports of all meat products from Brazil, the world’s top beef exporter, as a […] Read more
EU chemical agency says glyphosate not carcinogenic
Reading Time: 2 minutes Helsinki | Reuters — Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, should not be classified as a substance causing cancer, the European Chemical Agency concluded on Wednesday, potentially paving the way for its licence renewal in the EU. A transatlantic row over possible risks to human health has prompted investigations by congressional committees in […] Read more
U.K. farming minister seeks big changes to farm policy post-Brexit
Reading Time: 2 minutes Birmingham | Reuters –– Britain’s farm policy is set for a major shake-up when the country leaves the European Union because the current system is poor value for money, has too much red tape and provides few incentives to use the latest technologies, farming and environment minister Andrea Leadsom said Tuesday. Leadsom said she was […] Read more
EU said set to approve ChemChina bid for Syngenta
Reading Time: < 1 minute Brussels | Reuters — ChemChina is set to secure conditional EU antitrust approval for its US$43 billion bid for Swiss pesticides and seeds group Syngenta, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The deal — the largest foreign acquisition by a Chinese company — is important for China, the world’s largest agricultural market, […] Read more
CETA clears legal test hurdle in EU parliament
Reading Time: 2 minutes Strasbourg | Reuters –– The planned EU-Canada free trade deal cleared a hurdle to its implementation next year when the European Parliament rejected a motion on Wednesday to ask the top European Union court to rule on its legality. The vote by lawmakers in the parliament is an indication they will also ultimately back the […] Read more
EU wheat rises ahead of U.S. elections, USDA report
Reading Time: < 1 minute Paris/Reuters – European wheat prices rose in the wake of Chicago on Tuesday in a broader rise across international markets which increasingly anticipated the victory of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Presidential elections. Traders also pointed to short covering and technical buying ahead of the election results and the release a much awaited […] Read more
German cabinet approves draft law banning GM crops
Reading Time: < 1 minute Berlin | Reuters — The German cabinet has approved a draft law banning cultivation of crops with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), government sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Germany had announced in September 2015 that it will ban cultivation of crops with GMOs under new European Union rules allowing member states to opt out of their […] Read more
EU, Canada sign free trade deal but battle not over
Reading Time: 4 minutes Brussels | Reuters –– The European Union and Canada signed a free trade agreement on Sunday that aims to generate jobs and growth though it must still clear some 40 national and regional parliaments in Europe in the coming years to enter fully into force. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed the treaty along with […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
