Reading Time: 2 minutes France’s farm ministry on Tuesday increased slightly its estimates for sowings of winter soft wheat and winter rapeseed for the 2026 harvest, confirming its expectation of an expanded area for both crops this year.
France raises winter soft wheat and rapeseed planting estimates
Export flurry boosts EU barley market to ease grain glut
Reading Time: 2 minutes European Union barley exports could reach a 10-year high this season as brisk feed demand overseas and reduced competition from the Black Sea region help the EU to shift a large harvest.
Canada must resist EU non-tariff trade barriers says Grains Council
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada should lead like-minded countries to protect agricultural markets from non-tariff barriers based in politics rather than science, the Canadian Grains Council said in a new report.
Canadian GDP growth slow down expected in 2026, FCC says
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farm Credit Canada expects continued trade woes and mortgage renewals to weigh on Canada’s economic growth in 2026
EU-Mercosur trade pact signals limits of Trump’s hardball diplomacy in Latin America
Reading Time: 3 minutes A mega trade deal clinched between the European Union and South America’s biggest economies after a quarter-century of talks may signal the limits of the Trump administration’s pressure tactics in the region, officials and analysts said.
EU states back record South America trade deal after 25 years
Reading Time: 3 minutes EU states gave a provisional go-ahead on Friday for the bloc to sign its largest ever free trade accord with South American group Mercosur, more than 25 years since talks began.
EU summons farm ministers to secure Mercosur deal support
Reading Time: 2 minutes The European Union has convened EU agriculture ministers for last-minute talks on Wednesday to convince Italy and other wavering member countries to sign up to a contentious free trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur.
Consumers not confused by plant protein ‘burgers’ or ‘milk’, research suggests
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers in Europe have long expressed concerns that plant-based substitutes could threaten traditional farming practices. However, research suggests that consumers aren’t confused by the terminology.
Germany, Spain urge EU to back Mercosur trade pact, but France resists
Reading Time: 2 minutes German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged EU leaders on Thursday to back a contentious free trade pact with South American bloc Mercosur but French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron insisted it was still not ready.
Safeguards leave ‘cars for cows’ deal in peril
Reading Time: 2 minutes EU lawmakers backed tighter controls on imports of agricultural products under a potential trade agreement with the South American trade bloc Mercosur, as Brussels tries to get sceptics on board to sign the EU’s largest-ever trade accord.
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
