Reading Time: 5 minutes As the cost of spraying crops with pesticides becomes increasingly expensive, farmers in Greece's agricultural heartland have turned to a cheaper alternative: liquids in unlabeled plastic bottles smuggled over land and sea.
Europe’s illegal pesticide trade surges as farmers cut costs
At least 14 per cent of pesticides used on EU fields today are illegal
Protesting Greek farmers drive tractors to parliament
Farmers to add pressure on gov., which has offered power bill discount, extension of fuel rebate
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers from across Greece drove their tractors to Athens on Tuesday, stepping up weeks of protests over rising costs, foreign competition and catastrophic flooding.
Europe needs to ‘profoundly’ change its farming rules, says Macron
French farmers' union call for end of blockades
Reading Time: 4 minutes Europe's farming sector is facing a major crisis and needs to 'profoundly' change its rules, French President Emmanuel Macron said in Brussels, reaffirming Paris is against striking the Mercosur free-trade agreement with Latin American countries.
Greek farmers stage tractor protest against soaring energy costs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Larissa | Reuters — Farmers in central Greece on Friday protested with hundreds of tractors against soaring energy costs, dismissing government support measures as inadequate and demanding more help to cope with rising prices. The farmers parked tractors on a national highway near the town of Larissa in central Greece, where they faced off with […] Read more
Greece delivers feed to cattle ship at sea for months
Reading Time: 2 minutes Athens | Reuters — Greece will deliver 50 tons of animal feed to the Togo-flagged Elbeik, which has been stuck at sea for nearly three months in the Mediterranean carrying hundreds of cattle rejected by their buyers amid fears of disease, government sources said Tuesday. The vessel is expected to sail for Spain once the […] Read more
Greek farmers clash with police in Athens during reforms protest
Reading Time: < 1 minute Athens | Reuters — Greek farmers clashed with police in central Athens on Wednesday when a protest against tax and pension reforms mandated by the country’s multi-billion-euro bailout turned violent. About 1,300 farmers who had arrived in Athens from the island of Crete overnight headed to the agriculture ministry, which was sealed off by police […] Read more
The China (economic) factor and Canadian agriculture
Does China’s economic slowdown have to be bad news for Canada’s farmers? We ask Errol Anderson, does he see hope in the year ahead?
Reading Time: 6 minutes For the first instalment in our five-part series this fall and winter, we sat down with Calgary-based grain market adviser and regular Country Guide contributor Errol Anderson for his insights into what to look for in markets this year. The billion-dollar question, Anderson says, is what will happen in China. Other issues are important too, […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy slip on improved U.S. weather, Greece jitters
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. corn and soybean futures dropped on Monday as lighter-than-expected U.S. rainfall eased fears about soggy Midwest crops while worries over Greece and China led investors to shun many commodity markets. Corn prices pulled back from 2015 highs notched last week after heavy Midwest rains raised crop concerns and following a […] Read more
Russia may allow food imports from three EU states
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters –– Russia may allow around 20 firms from Hungary, Cyprus and Greece to return to its market after it orders the lifting of an embargo on food imports from the European Union, Interfax news agency quoted a senior official as saying on Tuesday. Russia banned foods from the 28-nation EU last year […] Read more
Russia may consider lifting food ban from Greece, Hungary, Cyprus
Reading Time: 2 minutes Moscow | Reuters — The Russian government could consider removing Greece, Hungary and Cyprus from its ban on most Western food imports, Russian Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov was quoted as saying Tuesday. Russia’s ban, which should run until early August, was imposed in retaliation to Western sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
