The grand chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union, in Luxembourg. (Curia.europa.eu)

GMO rules cover plant gene editing technique, top EU court says

Brussels | Reuters — Crops obtained by plant breeding technique mutagenesis should fall under laws restricting the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Europe’s highest court said on Wednesday, in a victory for environmental campaigners. The biotech industry had argued that much of mutagenesis, or gene editing, is effectively little different to the mutagenesis that […] Read more



A corn crop in the RM of St. Andrews in Manitoba’s Interlake region on July 5, 2018. (Greg Berg photo)

Canada feeds Europe’s corn appetite as tariff war shrinks U.S. sales

Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Canadian corn is flowing into Europe at the fastest pace in four years, helped by retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. by the European Union that has shut American corn out of the bloc, traders said. Corn shipments to western European countries rose 85 per cent year over year during the nine […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Firm, steady flax prices seen in the cards

CNS Canada — Farmers with flax in the ground should be pleased come autumn. Statistics Canada revised its seeded acreage estimate downward in late June and that, combined with lower carryout stocks and several other factors, should bring strong prices. “Given the demand in the market from China, the United States and potentially even the […] Read more


(MDurson/iStock/Getty Images)

EU backs plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance

Brussels | Reuters — EU member states backed a plan on Wednesday to combat antimicrobial resistance, an increasing global health issue, that would reduce the use of antibiotics in the food chain and limit certain drugs to humans. Antimicrobial resistance threatens the effectiveness of medicines such as antibiotics to treat infections in humans, as bacteria […] Read more

(CanadianBison.ca)

Bison prices rise with market access

CNS Canada — Prices for Canadian bison are slowly gaining ground as the industry continues to try and expand its global footprint. While the U.S. remains Canada’s largest export market, efforts have been made to increase access to Mexico, Europe and some parts of Asia. Last year, roughly 11,500 animals were slaughtered domestically while 17,600 […] Read more


(iStock/Getty Images)

EU nations back ban on all outdoor neonic use

Brussels | Reuters — European Union countries backed a proposal on Friday to ban all use outdoors of insecticides known as neonicotinoids that studies have shown can harm bees. The ban, championed by environmental activists, covers the use of three active substances — imidacloprid, developed by Bayer CropScience; clothianidin, developed by Takeda Chemical Industries and […] Read more




(Bayer.com)

Bayer offers asset sales for EU approval of Monsanto deal

Brussels/Frankfurt | Reuters — Bayer has offered to sell seeds and pesticides businesses to try to address EU competition concerns over its US$63.5 billion bid for U.S. rival Monsanto. The proposed remedies “are very significant and we are confident they fully address the European Commission’s concerns,” the German company said in a statement on Monday. […] Read more