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☆ Champagne makers celebrate record sales ahead of Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REIMS, France, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Champagne sales are expected to reach a new record this year, despite inflation that could have made consumers shun the expensive bubbly, producers said ahead of the start of year-end celebrations around the world. Champagne sales reached an all-time high last year at 5.7 billion euros ($6.05 billion), as the relaxation of pandemic-related curbs fuelled a surge in exports. "We will very likely beat this record again and 2022 will be the new champagne record in terms of turnover," David Chatillon, chairman of the Union of Champagne Houses (UMC), told Reuters in Reims, in eastern France, home to some of the most famous Champagne makers. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier 1 2 3Export sales were also expected to reach record highs. The war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia had little impact on Champagne sales as bottles were re-dispatched to meet strong demand from other markets, Chatillon said.

☆ Bird flu situation is worsening in France, ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The spread of bird flu has accelerated in the past weeks in France, the European Union's second largest poultry producer, the farm ministry said on Wednesday, raising concern of further shortages. France had already detected a rise in bird flu outbreaks over the summer after seeing its worst wave of the disease last season that lead to the culling of about 20 million chickens, ducks and turkeys and a sharp fall in poultry and foie gras output. By Dec. 20, 217 bird flu outbreaks had been detected on French farms, up from 100 on Dec. 2, and the number of cases has also risen sharply in wildlife, the ministry said. Bird flu has been spreading globally, ravaging flocks, with the toll at more than 100 million birds in Europe and the United States alone. France had put the country on "high" alert for bird flu last month forcing poultry farms to keep birds indoors.

☆ Foie gras or 'faux gras'? Paris chef offers festive vegan alternative
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

French chef Fabien Borgel, who manages the "42 Degres" vegan restaurant in Paris, created what he calls a "faux gras" two years ago as a substitute to the foie gras traditionally made from fattened duck and goose livers. Foie gras is considered part of France's culinary heritage, but the practice of force-feeding ducks or geese to enlarge their livers is condemned by animal activists. "You have people that have never tasted foie gras and will never taste it and they want something festive for the year-end parties. Borgel's veggy foie gras, containing cashew nuts, sunflower and coconut oil, looks like the traditional foie gras but is more creamy. A poll released by French foie gras producers on Wednesday showed 77% of domestic consumers were not ready to switch from the original to one made from plant-based products.

"I am sad and proud at the same time", said Thomas Bregas, a young Franco-Moroccan wrapped in a Morocco flag. Morocco had a shot at becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup final, but France are now poised to become the first team to retain their World Cup title in 60 years on Sunday. He added that Moroccans had nothing to be ashamed of after an "extraordinary" World Cup journey. In Paris, Police were gearing up for possible skirmishes, after scuffles followed last week's Moroccan quarter-final win over Portugal. Morocco fans in France had been in a celebratory frenzy ever since their team went on its historic World Cup journey, becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the last four in the global showpiece event.

DOHA/RABAT, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Moroccans slumped with disappointment on Wednesday after their team's semi-final defeat to France, but were still pumped with pride for a World Cup run that spurred tears of joy across Africa and the Arab world. In the first World Cup held in an Arab country, and one already marked by upsets, Morocco won supporters far afield as the first Arab team to reach the quarter-finals and the first African team to reach the semis. It is already an honour and we are proud to see people from different countries root for the Moroccan team," said Taoufiq Ouchikh. We lost to a world Cup champion and we dominated," said Abdelilah Sair, another fan watching in the same cafe. Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch lauded a team he called heroes that brought joy to Moroccans and made the country's name "resonate on every tongue during the World Cup".

☆ Right-winger Ciotti wins French conservative party leadership
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Right-winger Eric Ciotti was elected as the next leader of France's formerly heavyweight conservative Les Republicains (LR) party after winning the second round ballot of party members on Sunday. Ciotti, who is on record as saying he wants to stop what he calls a "migratory invasion" of France, won 53.7% of the votes against Bruno Retailleau, a senator who scored 46.3%, LR acting chairwoman Annie Genevard said. Ciotti, whose home base is the Nice region, is politically further to the right than outgoing LR leader Christian Jacob. His program proposes to "rehabilitate the value of work, fight against violence and disorder in the streets, stop the migratory invasion and the rise of Islamism". Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide Editing by Ros RussellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morocco, France fans clash with police in Paris after World Cup win
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Fans gather in Paris for Morocco v Portugal - Paris, France - December 10, 2022 Police officers are seen near a motorbike during the Morocco fans celebrations REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Dec 10 (Reuters) - French police fired tear gas on the Champs Elysees in Paris as fans were celebrating victories by France and Morocco in the World Cup, sending them to the tournament’s semi-finals. Thousands of supporters had filled the famous Parisian avenue soon after the match between Morocco and Portugal, chanting, waving flags and honking their horns amid large police deployment. Reuters TV footage showed people smashing shop ventures and fights with police. Some fires could also be seen on avenue de Friedland close to the Champs Elysees. Reporting by Antony Paone and Sybille de La Hamaide; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Strong sugar prices help Tereos offset high production costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - French sugar group Tereos reported strong first-half results on Tuesday, including a net profit and a sharp rise in earnings, as high sugar and ethanol prices helped offset an increase in production costs. Over the same period, adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 132% to 464 million euros. In Brazil, where Tereos is among the largest sugar and ethanol producers, the group should benefit from expected high prices and a higher sugarcane crushing volume, at 17.3 million tonnes, up from 15.6 million tonnes in 2021. However, Tereos expects its net debt at March 31, 2023 to be higher than at March 31, 2022 as higher costs led to a rise in working capital. Tereos said in October it would raise the price at which it will buy sugar beet from its members by 40% from last year.

☆ Wheat up 6% after Russia quits Black Sea pact; corn, soy firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Julie Ingwersen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CHICAGO, Oct 31 (Reuters) - U.S. wheat futures jumped 6%, hitting a two-week high, and corn rose 1.6% on Monday as Russia's withdrawal from a Black Sea export agreement raised concerns over global supplies. Chicago Board of Trade December wheat settled up 53 cents at $8.82-1/4 per bushel after reaching $8.93-1/4, the contract's highest since Oct. 14. CBOT December corn ended up 10-3/4 cents at $6.91-1/2 a bushel and January soybeans finished up 19-1/4 cents at $14.19-1/2 a bushel. Reuters GraphicsReuters Graphics"The grain and oilseed markets rose sharply overnight, led by wheat, as food shortage fears rise again after Russia pulls out of the Black Sea trade agreement," StoneX chief commodities economist Arlan Suderman said in a client note. Moscow suspended its participation in the Black Sea deal on Saturday in response to what it called a major Ukrainian drone attack on its fleet in Russia-annexed Crimea.

☆ World wine output dips slightly after year of torrid weather
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Oct 31 (Reuters) - World wine production in 2022 is expected to dip slightly below last year's level, with a better than anticipated volume in drought-hit Europe mostly offsetting a forecast drop in southern hemisphere output, an intergovernmental wine body said. In initial projections this year, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) pegged world production at between 257.5 million and 262.3 million hectolitres (mhl), with a mid‑range estimate at 259.9 mhl. That would be around 1% lower compared with an estimated 2021 volume of 262 mhl and below the average of the past 20 years, the OIV said in a note. "Overall, in 2022 the dry and hot conditions observed across different regions of the world have led to early harvests and average volumes," it said. The OIV cautioned that it did not have 2022 data for China and Russia, but anticipated a structural decline in Chinese production would continue.

☆ Fake meat challenges name ban in Paris restaurant debut
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chefs walk past the logo of Israeli start-up Redefine Meat which produces 3D printed plant-based vegan meat, at SIAL food and innovation exhibition in Villepinte, near Paris, France October 19, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierPARIS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The arrival of veggie meat dishes on Parisian steakhouse menus with names such as "tenderloin" and "flank" poses a challenge to French government efforts to ban meat names for plant-based products. The products of Redefine Meat made their debut in a Parisian restaurant this week after the Israeli startup firm struck a deal with importer Giraudi Meats to drive European distribution of its "New Meat" steak cuts produced on 3D printers. Beyond Meat (BYND.O), one of the world's leading plant-based meat producers, cut its revenue forecast last week. Redefine Meat sells its New Meat in almost 1,000 restaurants in Israel, Britain, the Netherlands and Germany, and they currently pay about $40 per kilo for its steak cuts.

☆ France taps strategic fuel stocks to avoid sugar factory stoppages
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Sybille De La Hamaide | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - France has released strategic fuel reserves for sugar producers after they warned that a lack of diesel impacting the harvesting of sugar beet could lead to factory stoppages, producer group SNFS said on Monday. Strikes over wages at TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) refineries have disrupted refining and delivery, leaving a third of French fuel stations running short. The French government said last week that it had tapped its strategic fuel reserves to resupply stations that had run dry. The decision to release strategic stocks late last week followed a meeting between sugar producers and French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau last Wednesday. "The state agreed to tap the strategic stocks so that the lack of diesel does not affect the factories' proper functioning," he added.

☆ French union rejects wage talk 'blackmail' as refinery strikes drag on
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Tassilo Hummel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Eric GaillardPARIS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - France's CGT trade union denounced TotalEnergies' (TTEF.PA) conditional offer for early wage talks as "blackmail", saying strikes that have left a third of the country's fuel stations running short would continue until at least Tuesday. President Emmanuel Macron, whose government is under mounting pressure to act as the strike grinds on and more fuel stations run out of some products, called for a quick end to the crisis. A CGT union representative later said the strike at the refineries would be extended until Tuesday. Long tailbacks formed at fuel stations in the Paris region as drivers tried to fill up before more pumps run dry. "This only encourages the striking workers, who are more united than ever," a CGT official at TotalEnergies' Feyzin refinery said of the company's conditional offer.

The order should also prohibit firms related to "unfriendly" states from owning Russian companies involved in grain loading capacity in ports, and grain storage, he said. VTB owns stakes in a number of major Russian grain export hubs in the Black Sea. Russian grain market players should still be allowed to sell grain to international traders for export on a free-on-board basis, which includes delivery to the final destination, the letter said. "But the main idea is to strengthen the position of Russian traders on the global market, not to prohibit anyone from doing anything," the source said. According to one grain trader, the government is expected to prepare its response to VTB's proposal by Sept. 30.

☆ LDC in agreement to buy Longriver Farms's Emerald Grain
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPARIS, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Asian branch of global crop merchant Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) said on Monday it had entered into an agreement with Longriver Farms for the acquisition of Australian grain handler Emerald Grain. The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Emerald Grain is a leading grain handling business in Australia, with a network of seven grain storage and receival sites across the states of New South Wales and Victoria, with a combined storage capacity of approximately one million tonnes, and a grain export terminal at the Port of Melbourne, LDC said in a statement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sybille de La Hamaide, editing by Tassilo HummelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Endive farmers Emmanuel Lefebvre and Christophe Mazingarbe walk in a field of endive plants in Bouvines, France, September 15, 2022. Across northern and western Europe, vegetable producers are contemplating halting their activities because of the financial hit from Europe's energy crisis, further threatening food supplies. Surging gas prices are the biggest cost vegetable farmers cultivating inside greenhouses face, farmers said. HEADING SOUTHFarmers are not just contending with spiralling energy prices. read moreEven in sun-flushed countries like Spain, fruit and vegetable farmers are grappling with a 25% increase in fertiliser costs.

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