African Swine Fever May Spread To Europe FAO

African swine fever (ASF), a viral disease harmless to people but lethal to pigs, is likely to spread beyond Russia and the Caucasus region into Europe, the United Nations’ food agency said May 26. ASF, for which there is no vaccine, is now established in Georgia, Armenia and southern Russia, with an increasing number of

Alien Weed Hits Cotton, Wheat In Syria, Iraq

An invasive alien weed, silverleaf nightshade, is theatening cotton and wheat crops in Syria and Iraq and could spread to Lebanon and Jordan, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation. More than 60 per cent of farmland in Syria, growing mainly cotton and wheat, has been infested with silverleaf nightshade. The weed, originally


Food Security Key To Global Peace FAO Candidate

The world has to act against hunger, which affects 13 per cent of the population, if it wants to strengthen global security, a candidate to run the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said April 27. Franz Fischler, an Austrian who is former EU agriculture commissioner, said during an interview the whipsaw effect of volatile food

In Brief… – for May. 12, 2011

Viterra opens Montreal office:Canada’s biggest grain handler, Viterra Inc. has opened a marketing office in Montreal following a deal last month to run the grain terminal owned by Montreal Port Authority. The marketing office will increase Viterra’s ability to buy crops and sell them to buyers in Canada, the United States and Europe, the company


GM Wheat Is Coming –Eventually

The need to make more money growing wheat will see genetically modified varieties commercialized in seven to 10 years, according to a leading American wheat organization. “I think this is a matter of when we have GM wheat products in the market, and not so much an if at this point,” Vince Peterson, U.S. Wheat

In Brief… – for Apr. 14, 2011

Frozen culverts:Floods from melting snow could damage highways and bridges in Saskatchewan, the provincial government said April 7. The Saskatchewan Highways Department said it has brought in steaming equipment as well as pumps and water tanks to thaw out frozen culverts to help drainage. Last year, big sections of Saskatchewan’s highway network were flooded, including


FAO Sees Food Price Rebound

Global food prices are expected to rebound in the next few weeks after coming off record highs in March as demand keeps growing against tight supplies, a top official at the United Nations’ food agency said on April 7. “We believe that in the next few weeks, and there are already signs of it, prices

New International Farm Organization Formed

A new organization representing farmers around the world has emerged to replace a previous one which folded last year. Nearly 60 farm groups from 42 countries last week announced the creation of the World Farmers Organization. Delegates met March 28-29 in Brussels to develop a declaration of intent for ratification at an inaugural meeting scheduled


More Than Six Million Need Food Aid In N. Korea

More than six million people in North Korea urgently need food aid because of substantial falls in domestic production, food imports and international aid, the United Nations said May 25. In a report providing a rare glimpse into the reclusive communist state, where a famine in the 1990s killed an estimated one million people, three

N. Korea Must Step Up Fight On Foot-And-Mouth — FAO

North Korea’s capacity to detect and contain outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in livestock needs significant strengthening, the UN food agency FAO and the world animal health body OIE said Mar. 24. The FAO and the OIE, which sent a joint mission in the reclusive communist state in late February-early March, said FMD cases have been