As the G20 summit starts in Paris this week, farming and feed organisations from around the world have called on the politicians to place agriculture at the top of the agenda.
Farm groups from 66 countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe adopted a joint declaration, stressing that trade policy must not be allowed to dictate domestic agricultural policies or ignore non-trade concerns.
And the European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC) has called on the European Commission to focus on measures allowing an increase in world agricultural production and productivity.
However, according to a recent report from the OECD and the FAO in the lead up to the summit, high commodity prices are set to stay in agriculture.
Talks in Europe over the last week looked at how market instruments can be adapted to stabilise the sector as it suffers extreme price instability caused by input cost hikes that have been made worse by drought conditions in many European countries.
The special meeting of the European Commission’s Advisory Group on the Beef Sector was convened by Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos.
In Australia, the continued ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia because of slaughter welfare concerns is expected ot put pressure on domestic markets as northern cattle producers seek markets in southern Australia for their cattle.
In the UK, the National Beef Association is continuing to raise concens over the introduction of video image analysis for carcase classification.
There are concerns that carcases going through the system, which has been introduced in Northern Ireland and is expected to be used across the UK shortly, have not been properly dressed.
This week has also seen new outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in Israel and Mozambique.