The European Parliament has called for “immediate and continuous action” to ensure global food security. It believes the aid of €1 billion that the EU has decided to give to developing countries should be accompanied by fresh investment in agriculture and it calls for mechanisms to be set up to ensure that sufficient global food stocks are available. In the space of two years, world food prices have increased by over 80% on average while cereal stocks have fallen in 2008 to a worrying... ...Read more »
British Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has called on supermarkets and food companies to give shoppers clearer information on where their food comes from.He made the call as he urged people to buy more local produce and stressed that protecting the environment is vital to increasing food production. “When you buy a car you know its service history. When you buy a house you get a detailed survey. So why do we accept knowing so much less about what we are putting into our bodies?” Mr... ...Read more »
A new report has discovered that, since 1991-92, Australian dairy farmers have improved performance and productivity by continuing to change their management practices and adopt various new technologies. The findings are contained in the report, Australian Dairy industry: use of technology and management practices on dairy farms, 1991-92 to 2006-07, released last week by ABARE Executive Director, Phillip Glyde. Results from a survey conducted by ABARE (Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource... ...Read more »
Tighter economic conditions are impacting some organic sectors and producers, and by-passing others, according to the Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA). Speculation on whether organic items are in the ‘dispensable luxury’ category when consumer spending curbs, have not been upheld in the organic meat and dairy sectors, but fruit and veg may be under pressure. Alister Ferguson, National Sales Manager for The Australian Organic Meat Company (Sanger Australia), said sales show Australian... ...Read more »
All pork products from Ireland have been recalled after toxic substances were found in pig carcasses. The crisis has been caused by a contaminated ingredient added to pork feed which was provided to ten farms in Ireland. The farms affected provide about ten per cent of the total pork produced in the country. European supermarkets were required to clear their shelves of all Irish produced pork, ham, bacon and sausages on the weekend in response to the issue. The Government and food authorities have... ...Read more »
Australian culinary icon Margaret Fulton today launched the ‘Canola Edition’ of the Greenpeace True Food Guide, which aims to help consumers avoid buying genetically engineered (GE) food products. Ms Fulton, widely renowned for her food writing, likened the major companies pushing GM (Genetically Modified) to Adolf Hitler, according to reports. The launch, at Sydney’s Bird Cow Fish restaurant, was supported by a number of leading figures in the food industry. Prominent supermarket... ...Read more »
Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke told the UN Food and Agriculture Organization overnight that he believes GM crops could play a vital role in coping with a global food shortage and climate change. The GM debate continues to be fuelled, with some arguing they are a solution to a potential crisis, while others fear they will merely create more problems. Studies suggest, however, that the majority of consumers are still to make up their mind. Greenpeace last month released a report, ‘Eating... ...Read more »
Continuing unfavourable conditions and a lack of water kept Australian agricultural production down during 2007-08, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. With laws of supply and demand dictating prices, it does not bode well for some food prices, though there were some favourable figures. Rice plantings dropped to the lowest levels since 1927 - from 20,000 hectares in 2006-07 to 3,000 hectares in 2007-08 - while production was down 86% to 23,000 tonnes. Rice has been... ...Read more »
Australian consumers are continuing to embrace organic produce, with three out of every five now buying organic products. A Newspoll survey of 1000 Australian shoppers, commissioned by the Organic Federation of Australia (OFA), discovered that 61 per cent of Australians buy organic - up from 43 per cent in 2003 (according to a University of Central Queensland study). The rapid rise is not surprising given the growth of the industry over the past four years. The Australian Organic Market Report,... ...Read more »
With Britain facing its sharpest economic downturn in 30 years, the National Farmers Union (NFU) is calling on the country’s largest retailers to take the lead in a new approach to corporate social responsibility, which would see fair pricing for both customers and suppliers put at the heart of their retail policy. The plea comes after accusations of major supermarkets becoming more aggressive in their demands of suppliers. Mr Kendall will make the call for greater responsibility in a speech... ...Read more »