Natasha Foote
Wheat prices to jump by a third if Russian exports halve, warn OECD, UN
Wheat prices are set to skyrocket by 34% in the event that exports from Russia are halved, and will rise by 19% if exports from Ukraine are cut completely, according to the latest predictions from the world’s major food and development organisations.
EU auditors urge Commission to move into digital age on agri data collection
The European Commission continues to manually process agricultural data on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on Excel spreadsheets, a new report from the EU Court of Auditors said, calling on the EU executive to move into the digital age.
EU-India clash over push on free trade of food
The Indian government has lambasted a push from the EU and other World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to keep global trade on foodstuffs open to cope with the fallout of the Ukraine war, backing countries' right to stockpile to feed their citizens.
Agrifood Brief: Agritourism in Alghero
“You need more water,” Monica Pasqua, owner and founder of a small agritourism business on the Italian island of Sardinia, said as she peered at my (admittedly feeble) attempts at moulding pasta dough into the traditional Sardinian 'malloreddus'.
Keep calm and carry on trading: Von der Leyen urges solidarity to fix food crisis
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for global solidarity to cope with food insecurity caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, urging states to keep trade open while pledging EU support for the most vulnerable countries.
Hunger hotspots: UN warns current food insecurity worse than Arab Spring
Acute food insecurity will likely deteriorate further in 20 countries over the coming months, according to a new report from the world’s major food organisations, who warn the current situation is already worse than during the 2011 Arab Spring.
Czech Presidency: ‘Let’s forget about the Farm to Fork strategy for a few months’
It would be wise to forget about the EU’s flagship sustainable food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy, throughout the Czech Republic’s presidency to instead focus on increasing food production, Štěpán Černý, director-general for European Affairs for the Czech government told EURACTIV.
Parliament, Council seal provisional deal on agricultural statistics reform
Negotiators struck a provisional deal on the EU’s agricultural statistics review on Thursday (2 June) after more than a year of discussion on the controversial file, although for environmental campaigners, the agreement leaves a lot to be desired.
Von der Leyen urges EU to step up food production, Africa to boost precision farming
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for the EU and Africa to step up efforts on food production, including via innovative farming techniques such as precision farming, in light of the war in Ukraine.
African Union and EU agree united stance on food security amid famine warnings
The EU and the African Union have agreed on a united message on food security which places the blame for disruptions to food supply squarely on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shoulders amid warnings of a “catastrophic” famine.
EU leaders to consider ‘all available ways’ to bypass Russian food export blockade
EU leaders will consider all available ways to circumvent the food export blockade imposed by Russia on Ukraine's ports, including a naval mission to escort cargo ships, but will not concede to Russia's demands to lift sanctions, sources told EURACTIV.
Agrifood Brief: From food sovereignty to food security
Last week saw French agriculture minister Julien Denormandie, after being snubbed for the role of France’s prime minister, step back from politics altogether.
Green deal is not dead, Czech agri minister states ahead of EU Presidency
The Green Deal must remain a key priority of the agricultural sector in spite of the war in Ukraine, according to Czech agriculture minister Zdeněk Nekula, who is preparing to take over the reins as chair of the EU Agrifish Council in July.
Commission considers easing rules on crop rotation to grow more wheat
The Commission is open to a German proposal to delay new EU rules on crop rotation in order to increase wheat production in the light of the Ukraine war, after the idea won approval from a number of member states.
Von der Leyen: Russia weaponises hunger, grain as way to wield global power
Russia is deliberately weaponising food and hunger to wield global power, according to European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, who warned that it is the world’s most vulnerable who will bear the brunt of its actions.
Yemen’s wheat industry urges international action to avert mass famine
Urgent international action is needed to avert a mass famine in Yemen on a never-before seen scale due to the Ukraine war, according to the country's largest wheat importer, the HSA Group, who wrote to leaders ahead of a UN summit this week.
Agrifood Brief: A sad tale from the farm
This week, EURACTIV travelled to the Vendée region of Western France to meet two generations of a farming family who are struggling to make ends meet amid rising costs and a rapidly changing society.
Commission slams Slovakia’s proposed restriction of grain, cereal exports
Slovakia has tabled a proposal that would restrict agricultural commodities exports in light of the war in Ukraine, a move the European Commission has condemned, warning any bans of this nature to destabilise markets and lead to price increases.
Play nice if you want our agri-trade: EU hangs food security threat over Turkey
Turkey must play by the rules if it hopes to strengthen its agricultural relations with the EU in order to bolster its food security in light of the Ukraine war, member states stressed ahead of a high-level meeting this week.
Agrifood Brief: Who’s afraid of Farm to Fork?
Has the recent debate over food security somehow compromised the sustainable ambitions of the Green Deal food chapter, the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy? That’s the question that – very timidly – many in EU the bubble have started to...
MEPs massively back organic farming but snub Farm to Fork target
The European Parliament has green-lighted a new report on the EU’s organic action plan, which stresses a market-based approach but makes no mention of the bloc's ambitious target to see 25% of agricultural land farmed organically by 2030.
Timmermans: Scaremongering on food security ‘dishonest, irresponsible’
Spreading fears of food shortages is “irresponsible and dishonest”, according to European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, who accused critics of using the war as a "pretext" to derail the EU’s green farming ambitions.
Agrifood Brief: Power to the peasants
As the old English joke goes, an advisor to the King went to warn the monarch that the peasants were revolting. “I know they are,” replied the monarch, “but I love them anyway”. And, just as in the joke, the...