Polish ag-minister wants GMOs out of Europe

Poland’s minister of agriculture is confusing the country’s political opinion on genetically modified crops by demanding a European-wide ban on GMO. “We are now proposing to completely prohibit not only the cultivation of GM plants, but also imports of feed and food that is genetically modified,” Minister Marek Sawicki told TVP public television. “And not […]

Bulgaria Guarantees Kosovo Wheat Supply

Kosovo and Bulgaria have agreed a new deal over wheat imports which helps shift Pristina’s dependence on Serbian goods. According to a report from the Bulgarian news agency Novinite, Thaci thanked the Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture and Foods Miroslav Naydenov for his country’s “readiness to provide Kosovo with food in the event of a shortage, […]

Europe’s farmland birds in decline

The birds’ rapid decline in numbers attributed to intensive farming, urbanisation and failure to sustain fragile populations you have never heard the lilting song of the linnet, spotted the distinctive plumage of a goldcrest, or waited for the whirring wings of a grey partridge, it is increasingly unlikely that you ever will. These once common […]

Rain delays wheat harvest; damage worries grow

HAMBURG — Repeated rain has delayed wheat harvesting in top European Union producers France and Germany, and dry weather is urgently needed to prevent last-minute damage, traders and analysts said on Tuesday. “We are coming to a real nail-biting finish to the season, with wheat ready on the fields in Germany and France but with […]

UK Growing Its Own Tea, Olives & Hot Peppers As Climate Warms

While by most accounts climate change will have a negative impact on agriculture as a whole, posing an additional challenge in feeding a human population increasing to an estimated 9 billion people over the coming decades, Reuters has an interesting story showing how, at least in some areas, warming will allow novel

EU gives Lebanon agriculture $20-mln boost

BEIRUT: The European Union provided Lebanon’s Agriculture Ministry Friday a grant of 14 million euros ($20.14 million) to fund a four-year agricultural and rural development program. The grant agreement was signed between Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan and Angelina Eichhorst, head of the EU delegation to Lebanon. “The current

Toxic seaweed on French coast sparks health fears

Fears in Brittany over the health risks of toxic seaweed have been re-ignited after two wild boar were found dead on a beach and the amount of the foul-smelling green algae collected from western French shores has doubled in a year. Conservationists say that toxic seaweed has now spread to more than 200 sites along […]

Europe holds the key to unlocking rural potential

We need simpler and more locally responsive agricultural and fisheries policies, says Ireland’s new Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) Minister Michelle O’Neill The European Union exerts a strong influence on the fortunes of our local agricultural, fishing and agri-food industries. Over the coming months, formal proposals for the

Future of fishing ‘at critical crossroads’

Fisheries minister Richard Lochhead yesterday warned that Scotland’s fishing industry was at a “critical crossroads”, after a meeting with the European fisheries commissioner. Mr Lochhead held talks with Maria Damanaki to set out his concerns over plans to reform the controversial Common Fisheries Policy after attending a meeting

The Doomsday Vault

It is the ultimate fortress, deep inside a frozen mountain about 1,130 kilometers from the North Pole. The frozen mountains, the isolation and the polar bears provide extra layers of security. The world’s agricultural heritage is stored in perpetuity at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, dubbed the “Doomsday Vault”. Tucked away in this giant refrigerated […]