S Am Ag Ministers urge end to EU/Chinese GMO delays

Agriculture Ministers from five South American countries have urged the EU and China to stop delaying import authorisations for genetically modified crops, reports the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA).…

US state of Arkansas moves closer to 2018 dicamba ban

The US state of Arkansas has taken another step towards imposing a spring cut-off date in 2018 for spraying of the herbicide, dicamba, in a move intended to address complaints about drift damage to soybeans and other non-target crops. The…

EU indecisive over GM crop approvals

More EU decisions on approving products derived from genetically modified crops have been delayed following the inability of member states to return the required qualified majority votes. The latest round affects three applications for GM maize,…

EU Commission plans end to outdoor uses of bifenthrin

The European Commission has drafted proposals to ban outdoor agrochemical uses of the insecticide/acaricide, bifenthrin, and to restrict its use to permanent greenhouses. In a notification to the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade,…

Glyphosate - State of play in the European Union

The renewal of glyphosate remains one of the most controversial issues in the EU at the moment. cqualified majority among the Member States to support it. As a compromise, the Commission presented a proposal for a 10 year renewal period instead…

EU open to ‘biodiversity clause’ to end glyphosate deadlock

The European Commission stands ready to insert a clause referring to biodiversity in the glyphosate renewal proposal if it is requested by member states, EURACTIV.com reports. The glyphosate debate heated up in September when French Environment…

EU dismisses claims of industry influence on glyphosate

The European Commission has dismissed claims of undue industry influence on its proposal to renew the EU approval of the herbicide, glyphosate. Environmentalist group Greenpeace quoted media reports that sections of the European Food Safety…

Brazil’s glyphosate imports fall 70% in first half of year

Brazil has imported 17,000 tons of glyphosate in the first half of the year, according to a survey released by the portal Global Agrochemicals. The number shows a fall of over 70% in comparison with the 58,000 tons that came in the first six…

Strengthening rupee, low input costs to help Indian fertilizer firms

The Indian fertilizer industry is seeing green shoots after two years of low margin business, thanks to lower gas prices and appreciation of the rupee, coupled with lower input prices.Analysts and industry representatives estimate the industry's…