News archive 2012

FAO is stepping up its response to a tomato-eating moth that is threatening crops in the Near East. Along with partners in affected countries, FAO is emphasizing "soft" pest control programs against the tomato borer (Tuta absoluta) that have already succeeded in minimizing damage in the Mediterranean, including North African countries.

The Desert Locust threat to pastures and croplands in Niger and Mali is growing after swarms of the insects arrived in the north of the two countries last month from Algeria and Libya.

FAO and the CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers have agreed to collaborate more closely in order to increase the effectiveness and impact of their work. In a Declaration of Intent signed in Rome the two organizations pledged to establish “a strong and long- lasting collaborative effort..."

While international agricultural commodity markets appear to have entered calmer conditions after record highs in 2011, food commodity prices are anticipated to remain on a higher plateau over the next decade, underpinned by firm demand but a slowing growth in global production, according to the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook.

Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture play a crucial role in food and nutrition security and in providing for the livelihoods of millions of people. FAO’s latest flagship publication on the state of fisheries and aquaculture, launched at the opening of the 30th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, highlights the sector’s vital contribution to the world’s well-being and prosperity, a point reflected in the recent Rio+20 Outcome Document.

FAO opened a new liaison office for cooperatives and producer organizations today in order to revitalize the Organization's collaboration with these organizations worldwide. The opening comes a few days after the International Day of Cooperatives, celebrated on Saturday, July 7.

The world needs to take a hard look at speculation on the financial markets and its potential impact on food price volatility, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today at a high-level debate on the issue at FAO Headquarters in Rome. Leonel Fernández Reyna, President of the Dominican Republic, spoke of the "tremendous human impact" as he addressed the issue.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, the United Nations food standards body, has agreed on a set of residue limits for the veterinary drug ractopamine in animal tissues. Ractopamine is a growth promoter, it also keeps pigs lean.

The FAO Food Price Index fell for the third consecutive month in June 2012, dipping 1.8 percent from May to its lowest level since September 2010. The four-point drop in June brought the index to 201 points from a revised level of 205 points in May 2012. The June index stood at 15.4 percent below its peak in February 2011.

The maximum level of melamine in liquid milk formulas for babies has been set by Codex Alimentarius, the UN food standards body at a meeting in Rome. The new ruling was among a series of measures aimed at protecting the health of consumers across the world. Other measures adopted include new food safety standards on seafood, melons, dried figs and food labelling.