Germany announced a plan to enforce higher standards in animal feed production Jan. 14 after the discovery of toxic chemical dioxin in feed, which has triggered a health alert and hit sales of German eggs and pork. German and European Union authorities are struggling to contain the alert which began on Jan. 3, when German
Germany Announces Anti-Dioxin Action Plan
EU To Keep Grain Mountain
The European Union will be compelled to retain its growing mountain of 4.2 million tonnes of unwanted grain as no disposal outlets are feasible in an era when subsidized sales on world markets are no option, analysts said March 19. This may mean the EU faces a storage bill of up to 74 million euros
EU Approves GM Potato For Industrial Use
The European Union’s decision on Mar. 3 to approve commercial production of the potato Amflora containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) developed by German group BASF will open the way for sowings of the potato this year, BASF said. “The way is now clear for commercial cultivation of Amflora this year,” said Peter Eckes, president of
EU Grain Maintains Swell — Again
Farmers in the European Union, troubled by falling prices, are likely to ease market pressure by offering hundreds of thousands of tonnes of barley into EU stores, leaving the bloc with a new mountain of surplus cereals. The EU supports farmers by guaranteeing it will buy some crops at a minimum price in its intervention
New Biofuels Seen Coming From Many Sources
New-generation biofuels will come from a wide range of sources and no single feedstock may dominate, a conference on second-generation biofuels organized by German commodity analysts F. O. Licht heard Feb. 13. Non-food plants and crops mentioned at the conference as possibilities for use in future biofuels range from corn husks, grasses and algae to
Big EU harvest cheers brewers, not drinkers
“ This price reduction provides a certain amount of relief on brewers’ costs… but a beer retail price cut is not to be expected.” – German beverage industry analyst Reiner Klinz Europe’s big barley crop has caused a sharp fall in prices for brewing malt, but while breweries may benefit, beer drinkers will have little
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
