Reading Time: < 1 minute Britain says it will not sign trade deals with potential suppliers such as the U.S. that open the way for food imports that are produced in a way that would be illegal for the country's farmers.
UK rules out trade deals which undercut food standards
Thousands of British farmers protest against ‘tractor tax’ on inheritance
Reading Time: 2 minutes Thousands of farmers protested at Britain's parliament on Tuesday, some driving tractors through central London, to demand the scrapping of an inheritance tax that they say will destroy family farms and threaten food production.
Britain pauses talks on Canada free trade deal over agriculture
The talks are among negotiations launched after Britain left the European Union
Reading Time: 2 minutes Britain has suspended talks on a free trade deal with Canada amid unhappiness on both sides about the lack of access to agricultural markets, Canadian officials said on Thursday.
U.K. to increase rapeseed, product output in 2023-24
Input costs seen down so far this year
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — With the rapeseed crop in the United Kingdom estimated at 66 per cent good to excellent, the U.S. Department of Agriculture attaché in London, forecast production for 2023-24 to be 1.38 million tonnes. That would make for a 1.4 per cent increase over the 2022-23 crop. While the attaché pegged planted and harvest […] Read more
Beef sector rips ‘unjust’ result as talks wrap on U.K. entry to CPTPP
Dairy sector calls for 'vigilant' enforcement on British imports
Reading Time: 4 minutes Negotiations have concluded for the United Kingdom to join Canada and its 10 partner nations in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade pact, with Canada’s beef cattle sector already calling the results “fundamentally unjust.” Federal Trade Minster Mary Ng on Thursday announced the conclusion of negotiations, making the U.K. the first accession applicant to reach that […] Read more
U.K. meat industry warns of threat to supplies from CO2 crisis
CO2 shortage is caused by closure of fertilizer plants
Reading Time: 2 minutes London | Reuters — Some of Britain’s meat processors will run out of carbon dioxide (CO2) within five days, forcing them to halt production and impacting supplies to food retailers, the head of the industry’s lobby group warned on Monday. A jump in gas prices has forced several domestic energy suppliers out of business and […] Read more
Canada’s pace in trade talks with U.K. raising frustration
Doubts remain on potential benefits for Canadian farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) is expressing frustration over the pace at which Canada is engaging the United Kingdom toward a post-Brexit free trade deal. Steve Verheul, assistant deputy minister of trade policy and negotiations at Global Affairs Canada, told a parliamentary committee any deal between the two countries will be impacted by European […] Read more
Lower grain production predicted from Europe in 2020
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — European grain production is expected to be down slightly in 2020, according to the first forecast for the year from European trade association Coceral. In the report, released Thursday, Coceral pegged total grain production for the European Union and United Kingdom in 2020 at 302.7 million tonnes, which would be down from the […] Read more
Brexit crisis tipped for British asparagus
Reading Time: 4 minutes Ross-on-Wye, England | Reuters — For almost 100 years, Chris Chinn’s family has farmed asparagus in the rolling hills of the Wye Valley in western England. This year, he fears uncertainty around Britain’s departure from the European Union will keep his eastern European workers away and the asparagus will stay in the ground. Asparagus grown […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Prairie fababeans spike on global production issues
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Fababean prices in Western Canada have seen a boost lately due to global production problems, but according to a buyer this is a temporary situation. “Over the last 45 days we’ve saw this market spike, we’ll call it a buck a bushel that we’ve seen that increase from where we would typically […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
