News from France

Chinese dairy producer secures French milk factory deal Synutra International Inc. has been given approval from China's commerce authorities to go ahead with a 100-million-euro (130 million U.S. dollars) in... Pesticides short-circuit bee brains: study Pesticides used by farmers to protect crops or bee hives can scramble the brain circuits of honeybees, affecting memory and navigation skills needed t... France wants GM crops excluded from EU-US trade talks The European Commission must not be allowed to include tight rules on genetically modified crops in free-trade talks with the United States, nor barga... Small farmers protest over 'unfair' EU farm subsidies Small farmers have protested outside the European Parliament to call for a bigger share of EU agricultural funds. They staged the demonstrations in... Will MEPs scupper greening of EU agriculture? Plans to force farmers to earn their subsidies by protecting the environment may be blocked by MEPs this week. The European Commission wants farmer... French agriculture on show in Paris Billed as the largest farm show in France, the 50th International Agricultural Fair in Paris opened its doors to visitors on Saturday. Among the nearl... EU talks on horsemeat crisis continue The ongoing horsemeat crisis will be the main topic of discussion at a Council of EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels today. The French President ... France eases horsemeat firm restrictions The French government has allowed the company at the heart of the horsemeat scandal to restart part of its meat production operation. Spanghero has... EU clears use of pigs, chicken in fish feed The European Union said Thursday it has ended a ban on using fish meal made from ground-up pigs or chickens introduced at the height of the 'Mad Cow' ... EU budget deal for farmers raises wildlife concerns The European Commission is fighting a rearguard action to force farmers to work in a way that benefits the environment. The Commission, which draft... EU leading revival in world wheat prospects The European Union may drive a recovery in world wheat production in 2013-14, the United Nations said, even as it lifted by 20m tonnes estimates for t... Farmers cultivate support to protect CAP budget Hundreds of European farmers who gathered in Brussels on the eve of an EU budget summit sent a terse message to national leaders: Hands off the CAP. ... French Farm Costs Rose 4.3% in 2012 on Energy and Feed French farm-production costs rose about 4.3 percent last year on higher expenses for energy and animal feed, with the biggest rise for livestock breed... EU prepares to ban three pesticides harmful to bees Three pesticides that harm bees will be banned from application to flowering crops in Europe as of July 1, under new proposals issued by the European ... France, Germany face EU legal threat over pig welfare Some of Europe's biggest pig producers including Germany, France and Spain face legal action over their failure to meet a January 1 deadline to implem... French wheat sales seen facing protein risk by Granit's Everling France’s wheat exports to North Africa are at risk because the average protein content in the grain is falling, according to Jean-Philippe Everling, t... Cattle TB vaccine a decade away, say Euro chiefs A vaccine for cattle to tackle the spread of bovine TB in Gloucestershire will not be available for at least another decade according to officials in ... Commission says no freeze on approval of GM crops The European Commission has dismissed any suggestions of a freeze on EU decision making on the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops. The... Crops for biofuel ‘lift global food prices’ Biofuel output from agricultural commodities has contributed to surging world food prices in the past decade, says Nestle chairman Peter Brabeck-Letma... French farmers protest over EU environment rules French farmers held protests across the country on Wednesday, including a pre-dawn street blockade near the farm ministry in Paris, to attack what the... France to shift subsidies from crops to livestock France plans to shift some agricultural subsidies from crop growers to livestock farmers to narrow a gap in revenue and productivity between the two s... France seeks to boost aid for livestock farmers France plans to shift some agricultural subsidies from crop growers to livestock farmers to narrow a gap in revenue and productivity between the two s... French wine consumption at lowest ever level There are many foods that you might think of as quintessentially French: baguettes, snails, a slice or two of fromage, garlic, onions and of course fr... Auditors flag farm subsidy fraud in new EU members The European Court of Auditors has identified many cases of fraudulent agricultural payments for unutilised land among the new EU members of Central a... France rejects CAP budget proposal France – the largest agricultural producer in Europe - has rejected out of hand the latest cuts to the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) budget for the ... Malaysia slams French 'Nutella' palm oil tax plan Malaysia'a official Palm Oil Council on Monday slammed as "irresponsible" and "badly informed" a French senator's call to slap a 300-percent tax incre... French sugar-beet harvesting slowed by wet October French sugar-beet harvesting was slowed down by unusually wet weather last month, disrupting the supply of roots to processors, industry researcher In... EU states squabble over contentious budget The run-up to this month’s EU 2014-20 budget summit is proving even more fractious than usual as the major contributors dig their heels in, demanding ... EU faces pork price “shock wave” With a ban on gestation-sow stalls set to become law on Jan. 1, EU hog producers are warning that pork prices will rise significantly as the productio... French put CAP centre of the agenda French politicians who will play a key role in deciding the shape of the next Common Agricultural Policy have unveiled their thoughts on how their far... Pig welfare has a price for Europe's pork lovers Europe's pregnant pigs will be happier next year but pork eaters will pay more and some breeders will go out of business as new porcine welfare rules ... French grain producers set up fund to aid livestock breeders France’s grain-grower organizations set up a fund to provide financing to modernize the country’s livestock industry. The fund will be based on vol... France wants EU to review long-term risks of GM crops A controversial study pointing to health risks from a type of genetically modified maize and a related pesticide did not provide grounds for questioni... Expert panel rejects French study linking GM corn to cancer A controversial French study linking GM corn to cases of cancer was dismissed by an investigative panel on Monday. Experts, asked by the government to... Warning over poor wine harvest European farmers have warned that drought, cold and hail have led to the worst wine harvest in up to half a century. Farmers union expert Thierry C... New EU biofuels law could be last straw for farmers Energy industry, farmers and campaigners in row over 'indirect' greenhouse gas emissions from biofuels crops as the European Commission is poised to u... Industry seeks to weaken EU cap on crop-based fuels The European Commission is under strong pressure from industry groups and some of its own departments to weaken a planned cap on the use of biofuels m... Vilmorin drops GM field tests as debate rages in France French seed maker Vilmorin & Cie SA has dropped plans to conduct field tests of genetically modified (GM) crops next year in its home market because d... France, Germany seal deal on EU farm budget freeze Germany and France endorsed a European Commission proposal for a nominal freeze in agricultural spending at 2013 levels from 2014 to 2020 as budget ta... French GM study not scientifically valid Last month’s study out of France that said genetically modified corn and a related herbicide caused organ damage, tumors, and early death among rats b... World wheat production could see a "significant increase" in 2013 World wheat production could see a "significant increase" in 2013 assuming the benign weather blessing sowings of winter crop in many major production... France's Le Foll asks EU to study milk stability measures French Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll asked European Union Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos to consider a milk-market stability mechanism... France fears EU to crop farming aid The last working document published by the EU's Cypriot presidency has sparked fears in France that the new EU budget will slash direct subsidies to f... French vintners want US chateaux kept out of EU Drinking a Bordeaux wine from a `'chateau" is as French as swigging Kentucky bourbon is American. But now tempers are flaring across the vineyards ... French vitners fear flood of American ‘chateau’ wine French fears of competition from a flood of U.S. wine bearing the word “chateau” on the label eased on Tuesday, after EU officials delayed a decision ... French PM maintains ban on GM crops France will uphold a ban on genetically modified crops as President Francois Hollande pushes his plan to put the environment back at the top of the in... French winemakers concerned over 'chateau' change In France, wine labelled "chateau" is associated with a product entirely made from grapes grown on a "terroir" – a specific patch of land- giving it a... France seeks biofuels pause in global food strategy A French plan to fight food price volatility took further shape on Wednesday with a call to pause global development of biofuels, just a day after Pre... French wine output may slump 16% on heat wave Wine production in France, the biggest exporter, may slump 16 percent this year to a four-year low after frost, thunderstorms and an August heat wave ... Trees breathing new life into French agriculture The tips of young walnut trees are just visible above the ready-to-harvest wheat. There are rows of them and they should produce fine wood for cabinet...