Reuters / Sheep farmers in Britain and Ireland fear for their future as oversupply of lamb in Europe drags farm gate prices to three-year lows while production costs soar, giving efficient New Zealand exporters a vital edge. Most British sheep farmers have been selling at a loss since November because an influx of cheap imports
Falling lamb prices make U.K., Irish sheep farmers fear for future
Drenching continues for British and French wheat and rapeseed
Heavy rain and saturated soil are threatening to reduce wheat and rapeseed production in western Europe this year with the most serious problems in Britain, crop analysts said. The outlook in top producer France is also deteriorating. “There are an awful lot of crops out there that are still under water, lots of patches of
Higher feed costs could trigger wide-reaching shift in consumers’ meat purchases
A surge in feed grain prices has stripped many livestock farmers of profit and set off a chain of events that threatens to drive up world meat prices in 2013. The global economic downturn has made it difficult for farmers to pass on rising costs to cash-strapped consumers, and they have sought to scale back
Consumers, farmers squeezed as grain giants tighten grip
Reuters / A global race for grain trading power is putting more of the world’s vital cereals in the hands of fewer companies, with a string of recent acquisitions raising fears that consumers will pay even more for their food, while farmers are squeezed. Archer Daniels Midland last week bid for Australia’s last independent grain
British wheat imports to soar as crop quality fails
Britain is on the hunt for high-quality bread wheat after domestic production and quality come up short
Reuters / Britain will be a net importer of wheat for the first time in a decade this year, turning customer to its traditional export rivals after a disease-ravaged harvest, much of which fails to meet the quality required for bread. Traders and analysts said diseases fuelled by the wettest June since records began moreIGC cuts grain stocks forecast to five-year low
The International Grains Council on Thursday cut its forecast for global maize and wheat crops in 2012-13, further tightening supplies with grain stocks at the end of the season seen sinking to a five-year low. "Inventories (of grain) for the major exporters will be even tighter and the smallest for 17 years," the IGC said
World powers eye emergency food meeting; action doubted
Leading members of the Group of 20 nations are prepared to trigger an emergency meeting to address soaring grain prices caused by the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century and poor crops from the Black Sea bread basket. France, the United States and G20 president Mexico will hold a conference call at
Rains threaten Western Europe’s wheat quality
Repeated rains threaten to reduce the quality of wheat crops in western Europe, though there remains the potential for reasonable yields in most areas, crop analysts said on Tuesday. "There is still potential, but there are threats to quality," Jean-Paul Bordes, head of research at Arvalis, said, referring to the crop in France, the European
IGC cuts 2012-13 wheat crop outlook
The International Grains Council on Monday cut its forecast for global wheat production in 2012-13 as the outlook for the crop in key exporter Russia deteriorated. World wheat production was cut to 665 million tonnes from a previous forecast of 671 million and now stands well below the prior season’s 695 million. "The outlook for
Agricultural research funds escape austerity cuts
Reuters / Public spending on agricultural research is on the rise, despite austerity drives in many countries, as price spikes and problems linked with climate change propel food security towards the top of government agendas, the head of a leading research body said. “People have realized that feeding the world without destroying the environment is
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