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☆ Last-minute Brexit bill risks higher food prices, UK business groups warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —British business groups are warning that newly announced post-Brexit charges on plant and animal imports could push up food prices not long after food inflation came down from double-digit rates. The port and the undersea tunnel beneath the English Channel handle the majority of UK food imports. Annual UK food price inflation topped 19% in March 2023, the highest rate in 45 years, and stood at more than 10% as recently as in October. Some are already “deciding that it is too expensive or too much hassle to serve the UK,” he told CNN. A government spokesperson said the new charges “were at the bottom end of the range” discussed with UK businesses during a consultation period last summer.

Persons: Tom Southall, William Bain ,, ”, James Barnes, “ Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Department for Environment, Food, Rural Affairs, Channel, Chain Federation, Chambers of Commerce, ”, CNN, EU . Trade, Horticultural Trades Association Locations: British, Port, Dover, Eurotunnel, Southall

Signage is seen for British utility company Thames Water at a repair site in London, Britain, June 28, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Thames Water, Britain's biggest water utility, is proceeding with a three-year turnaround plan, it said on Tuesday, adding it had a high level of liquidity and the support of investors, as it seeks to ease concern over its financial stability. Thames Water's environment record has also come under scrutiny. "Our shareholders support this much needed investment, underscoring their commitment to delivering Thames' turnaround." Robert Goodwill, chairman of Britain's environment, food and rural affairs committee, said that he may need to ask Thames Water bosses further questions.

Persons: Toby Melville, Cathryn Ross, Alastair Cochran, Robert Goodwill, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Thames, REUTERS, Media, Thames Water, Ontario, China Investment Corp, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Thames

☆ Here Is a List of the New U.K. Cabinet so Far
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Here’s what has been announced officially so far on Monday. Foreign secretary: David Cameron (not in previous cabinet, prime minister 2010 to 2016). Home secretary: James Cleverly (previously foreign secretary). Health secretary: Victoria Atkins (formerly financial secretary, a sub-cabinet position in the Treasury). Secretary for environment, food and rural affairs: Steve Barclay (previously health secretary)Chief secretary to the Treasury: Laura Trott (formerly a pensions minister).

Persons: David Cameron, James, Victoria Atkins, Steve Barclay, Laura Trott Organizations: Treasury

☆ UK PM Sunak appoints Victoria Atkins as new health minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday appointed Victoria Atkins, formerly Financial Secretary to the Treasury, as the new Secretary of State for Health and Social care as part of a reshuffle of his senior team of ministers, his office said. Atkins replaces Steve Barclay, who was moved to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She will assume oversight of the National Health Service (NHS), Britain's state-funded health system that is under pressure from industrial action by health workers and a growing list of patients waiting for treatment. There are currently around 7.8 million people waiting for NHS treatment, a new record high, compared to about 7 million a year ago. Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Alistair Smout, Writing by Sachin RavikumarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Victoria Atkins, Atkins, Steve Barclay, Kylie MacLellan, Alistair Smout, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: British, Monday, Treasury, State, Health, Department for Environment, Food, Rural Affairs, National Health Service, Thomson

CNN —Days of heavy rain have caused severe flooding in China’s leading grain-producing region in the northeast, killing 14 people and raising concerns about food security as floodwater inundated farmlands. As the storm moved further north, another 14 deaths were reported Sunday in the city of Shulan in Jilin province. Firefighters operate a drainage machine near a village in the city of Mudanjiang in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province on August 5. A cornfield is submerged by floodwater in a village in Hebi city, Henan province on August 5. A flooded farm in Xinxiang city, Henan province on August 5.

Persons: Doksuri, Zhang Tao, floodwater, Typhoon Khanun, Xi Jinping Organizations: CNN, Xinhua, Firefighters, China’s Ministry of Water Resources, Communist Party, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Affairs, National Bureau of Statistics, China Meteorological Administration, Qiushi, Communist Locations: China, Beijing, Hebei, Shulan, Jilin province, Heilongjiang, Mudanjiang, China's Heilongjiang, Jilin, Harbin, Shangzhi, Wuchang, Liaoning, Hebi city, Henan province, Henan, Xinxiang city

☆ China approves safety of first gene-edited crop
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, May 4 (Reuters) - China has approved the safety of a gene-edited soybean, its first approval of the technology in a crop, as the country increasingly looks to science to boost food production. Shunfeng claims to be the first company in China seeking to commercialise gene-edited crops. Several additional steps are needed before China's farmers can plant the novel soybean, including approvals of seed varieties with the tweaked genes. Getting gene-edited crops onto the market is expected to be faster however, given fewer steps in the regulatory process. Aside from the United States, Japan has also approved gene-edited foods, including healthier tomatoes and faster-growing fish.

☆ Humza Yousaf sworn in as Scotland's leader as bid for unity falters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Newly elected leader of the Scottish National Party, Humza Yousaf (centre), signs the nomination form to become First Minister for Scotland, with his proposer Shona Robison and seconder Neil Gray, at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. MSPs will vote on Mr Yousaf's nomination to be Scotland's sixth First Minister later today. Yousaf had been expected to offer his leadership rival, whom he only defeated by only about 2,000 votes, a more senior role. During his leadership campaign, Yousaf had said he would depart from Sturgeon's "inner circle" style of leadership in favour of a "big tent" approach. Yousaf said on Tuesday that Shona Robison - a close friend of Sturgeon - will serve as his deputy first minister.

☆ Thousands of UK civil servants to strike from April 11
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 24 (Reuters) - More than 3,000 British civil servants across four government departments will strike from April 11 in a dispute over pay, pensions and job security, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said on Friday. "They demand the government holds meaningful talks with us and puts some money on the table to give them a decent pay rise," PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said. The action will affect the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), Forestry Commission, Rural Payments Agency and Marine Management Organisation, the union added. Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's pig farms battle new surge in African swine fever
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Dominique Patton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Data from swine fever virus testing companies show that the number of positive detections exploded after the new year holiday. "We guess that the current swine fever infection area in northern production areas may be reaching 50%," it added. We feel it hasn't ended yet, that's the problem," he said, declining to be identified due to the sensitivity of disease outbreaks in China. HARD TO ASSESSChinese farms typically do not report disease outbreaks to the government, making it challenging to get an accurate picture of the extent of the infections. Though not as serious as in 2019, the disease could reduce production by more than 10%, Huachuang analyst Xiao Lin told Reuters.

China's four new vice premiers:Ding Xuexiang, 60, is the first-ranked vice premier who also sits in the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, China's top echelon of power. Wang Zhigang, 65, remains minister of science and technology. Huai Jinpeng, 60, remains minister of educationPan Yue, 62, remains head of the National Ethnic Affairs CommissionWang Xiaohong, 65, remains minister of public securityChen Yixin, 63, remains minister of state security. Considered a Xi ally, he had worked with Xi when the latter was party chief of Zhejiang province from 2002-2007. Tang Dengjie, 63, remains minister of civil affairsHe Rong, 60, remains minister of justiceWang Xiaoping, 59, remains minister of human resources and social securityWang Guanghua, 59, remains minister of natural resourcesHuang Runqiu, 59, remains minister of ecology and environmentNi Hong, 60, remains minister of housing and urban-rural developmentLi Xiaopeng, 63, remains minister of transportLi Guoying, 63, remains minister of water resourcesTang Renjian, 60, remains minister of agriculture and rural affairsHu Heping, 60, remains minister of culture and tourismMa Xiaowei, 63, remains head of the National Health CommissionPei Jinjia, 59, remains minister of veterans affairsWang Xiangxi, 60, remains minister of emergency managementHou Kai, 60, remains auditor-general of the National Audit OfficeReporting by Yew Lun Tian, Ziyi Tang, additional reporting by Albee Zhang; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK government calls in supermarket bosses for salad crisis talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An employee checks stock levels at the tomatoes section of a partially empty fruit and vegetable aisle at a Sainsbury's supermarket in London, Britain, February 26, 2023. Food and farming minister Mark Spencer will meet the bosses of Britain's major grocers later on Monday. Spencer said the crisis had shown how dependent Britain can be on certain trade routes for some types of food. Last week, Therese Coffey, minister for the environment, food and rural affairs, warned shortages could last up to another month. She has been widely mocked for saying Britons who can't get hold of salad vegetables might want to consider turnips instead.

☆ UK vegetable and fruit shortage could last until May, producers warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A shortage of tomatoes affecting UK supermarkets is widening to other fruit and vegetables and is likely to last weeks, retailers have warned. According to the BRC, UK supermarkets import 95% of their tomatoes and 90% of their lettuce in December and typically the same proportions in March. Stiles said UK supermarkets had opted to import even more fresh produce from abroad this winter, taking advantage of lower prices sought by overseas growers. UK supermarkets have not mentioned Brexit as a reason for the supply crunch. Although full UK border checks on fruit and vegetable imports from the Europen Union start only from January 2024, Stiles says additional paperwork has already deterred EU producers from exporting more to the country.

☆ UK supermarkets Tesco, Aldi and Asda are rationing fruit and salad vegetables
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Asda told CNN that it was temporarily limiting purchases of some items to three packs per customer. These include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. Morrisons told CNN that it had imposed a cap of two packs per customer on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. Sainsbury’s (JSAIY), the United Kingdom’s second-largest food retailer, told CNN it had no plans to ration the sale of fruit and vegetables. The high-end supermarket chain told CNN that it was “monitoring the situation” but had no plans to introduce rationing.

☆ UK government eyes ban on single-use plastic plates and cutlery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Single-use plastic cutlery, plates and other items are set to be banned by the UK government and replaced by biodegradable items as it seeks to tackle the country’s – and the world’s – growing plastic waste problem. The Financial Times reported that the UK Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey will announce firm plans in the coming weeks. The government said 1.1 billion single-use plates and 4.25 billion items of single-use cutlery are used in England each year, equivalent to 20 plates and 75 pieces of cutlery per person. The European Union banned single-use plastic plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and cotton buds last summer. In the US, California put in place sweeping new restrictions on single-use plastic in June, requiring all single-use packaging and plastic single-use food serviceware be recyclable or compostable by 2032.

☆ Chinese farmers let cabbages rot as COVID curbs disrupt sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The situation is exacerbated by a fragmented supply chain, where small farmers sell to middlemen who purchase for large wholesale markets in cities. Cui typically sends up to 20 large trucks of cauliflower, cabbage, and lettuce to markets daily in this season. Henan produced 76 million tonnes of vegetables last year, or about 10% of the nation's supply, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday it had launched an initiative to sell Henan vegetables at large wholesale markets, selling 4,677 tonnes last week. It also set up a hotline to connect farmers with sellers, and said it would find cold storage facilities to stock winter vegetables.

The Amazon Fund, started under leftist Lula's first administration from 2003-2010, bankrolled conservation projects and counts Norway and Germany as its biggest donors. Right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro froze the fund, citing unspecified spending irregularities among fund-backed projects run by nongovernmental organizations, without providing evidence. The British embassy said its government was studying the invitation to join the Amazon Fund. Izabella Teixeira, Lula's former environment minister and current climate change adviser, told Reuters she had met with Norwegian and German officials on Monday about restarting the fund. Deforestation soared to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro, who called for more farming and mining in the Amazon region.

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