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 »
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 »
Japan is proving to be a safe haven for Australian beef exports, with the volume of red meat being sent to that market holding firm amid the current global financial turmoil.Beef exports to Australia’s biggest beef export market remain at similar levels to those of a year ago, before the financial crisis hit. Year to date exports of Australian beef to Japan have totalled 305,774 tonnes, down just three percent compared to 314,493 tonnes exported in the same period last year. Meat & Livestock... ...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 »
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that the current financial crisis will affect agricultural sectors in many countries negatively, including those in the developing world. World cereal production is expected to hit a new record this year as high prices boosted plantings under generally favorable weather conditions, FAO said today in the latest issue of its “Food Outlook”, a bi-annual commodity publication. World cereal production is forecast to be large enough to meet... ...Read more »
A new campaign has been launched to help take Queensland produce to the world, the state’s Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin has reported.Mr Mulherin noted the state’s exporters had reaped rewards via the Asian Markets for Horticulture Initiative (AMHI) and suggests the next strategy will be bolder than the last. “Now we are going bigger with a new campaign - the Global Markets Initiative - that will promote a range of producers not just horticulture and it... ...Read more »
The unique Halal brand that was developed last year by Meat & Livestock Australia for use in the Middle East red meat market has now gone global.The brand, which supports the majority of Australian-produced Halal red meat sold in the Middle East, is now set to appear with Australian red meat sold in Islamic countries around the world. MLA’s Middle East regional manager, Ian Ross said the global expansion of the Halal brand is an important step towards expanding markets for Australian red... ...Read more »
Research released UK by food and grocery expert IGD suggests that consumers want more information on Genetically Modified (GM) foods before forming a strong opinion one way or the other. IGD has closely monitored consumer attitudes to GM food, alongside many other issues, over the last ten years. The latest research involved IGD talking to 7,000 shoppers during spring and early autumn 2008. The research shows that opinions have changed very little since the issue reached mass public attention almost... ...Read more »
The Rudd Government is seeking to abolish an 11 cents per litre levy on fresh milk, with legislation introduced to Federal Parliament yesterday. The levy was established by the Howard Government in 2000 to fund an adjustment package for the dairy industry as it moved through deregulation. Around $240 million a year has been collected through the levy, to provide payments to around 13,000 dairy businesses over eight years. Consumers will benefit from a modest saving on the price of fresh milk when... ...Read more »