The Welsh Government has been slammed for its plans to withdraw support for organic farming, which industry bodies claim pose an “existential threat” to hundreds of sustainable food and farming businesses. read more

Portugal’s fresh fruit, vegetable and flower sales increased to €1.036bn in the first half (H1) of the year, up 8 per cent on the same period of 2022. read more

Asda has published its third Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, outlining progress towards meeting its environmental targets and the initiatives it has launched to support customers and communities. read more

One of Australia’s largest banana growers Mackay Farming Group has listed its nine farms and total farming operations across the Tully and Lakeland regions of Far North Queensland for sale after 75 years of family ownership. read more

Spanish citrus interprofessional Intercitrus has called for the European Commission to implement a verification system to prove that South African exporters are complying with the requirement for oranges to be subjected to cold treatment prior to shipment to the European Union. It is also
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Hapag-Lloyd has released its results for the first half (HY) of 2023, with revenue and earnings taking a hit amid a “weaker market environment” that saw “subdued demand”. read more

Good fruit quality and lower freight costs have improved the fortunes of Uruguayan citrus exports this year. As the campaign draws to an end, Marta Bentancur of trade promotion agency Upefruy told Fruitnet that Uruguay’s final export volume would be similar than in 2022. read more

Lineage Logistics has announced it has partially closed a joint venture arrangement with Hanoi-based cold-storage warehouse operator SK Logistics. read more

Peruvian avocado exports to Chile grew 91 per cent in volume and 62 per cent in value in the first six months of 2023, pushing it into the top three destinations for this fruit. read more

The South African fruit industry is looking ahead to the BRICS summit this month in South Africa with mixed feelings. read more

Banana producers in Colombia’s Urabá region have reached a historic agreement with the country’s biggest agricultural union, Sintrainagro, that stands to benefit 22,000 workers from 251 banana farms. read more

Tempting as it may be to consider slavery an unconscionable historical aberration, so-called “modern slavery” is very much a reality in 2023, and any industry heavily reliant on low-paid, seasonal workers is likely to be a target for exploitation. Shayne Tyler, whose company TylerBladon
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Mastronardi Produce is to launch its new US-grown Sunset Wow organic strawberries this autumn at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in October. read more

A process that will see private sector involvement in the key South African rail network between Gauteng and the port of Durban has begun. read more

Tesco is overhauling the product range in its Express stores to improve its cost competitiveness. read more

Biobest has announced the acquisition of Austria-based crop protection group Agrotech, a specialist in the supply of products for the high-tech horticultural vegetable industry. read more

The Chilean Citrus Committee has held a workshop for Japanese importers and distributors highlighting the potential of its citrus offer as part of its strategy to boost sales to that market. read more

Banana exports from Costa Rica grew 19 per cent in the first half of 2022 compared to the year-earlier period according to the latest trade data from trade promotion agency Procomer. Pineapple exports increased by 13 per cent in the same period. read more

A host of partners have signed on to an ambitious new A$130m Australian horticulture trade initiative called the Fresh and Secure Trade Alliance (Fasta) with the aim of supercharging fresh produce exports. read more

Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) and the market community have come together to mourn the death of former Queensland Premier, Treasurer, and inaugural BML director, Michael Ahern. read more