News and views

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13/7/2023

L'Institut Technique de la Betterave

Fairly low virus yellows pressure so far - ITB

Sugar beet sown in France in March until the beginning of April developed symptoms of virus yellow from June 15, but with a severity that remained below 5% until the beginning of July. Over the past week, the severity of certain sites has increased, affecting up to 10% of the plot area. To date, only a very limited sector to the south-east of Chartres shows pronounced symptoms of jaundice, up to 40% of the area affected. The first viral analyzes carried out in June in the Center region indicate a strong presence of the BYV virus, and to a lesser extent of BtMV.

12/7/2023

Euractiv

Australia wants more from the EU in exchange for its minerals

Negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and Australia are stalling as Australia wants to leverage its wealth in critical raw materials to get more market access for its meat and sugar industry. With the dairy industry having nothing to gain but much to lose [by subscribing to EU geographical indications), support from the Australian agricultural sector would have to be secured in another way, for example by significantly increasing the EU import quotas for Australian beef, sheepmeat, and sugar. Don Farrell said that there was goodwill on both sides. “In August, we will meet again with the aim of trying to resolve an agreement as quickly as possible,” he said.

6/7/2023

Euractiv

EU auditors highlight need for more than one solution to road transport emissions

Like a gambler putting all the chips on one number at the roulette table, the EU is betting everything on electric vehicles as the way to decarbonize road transport – and phasing out all other options, many of which already deliver results today. But a new report from the European Court of Auditors shows that bet may be premature at best, and counterproductive at worst. The EU’s main auditing institution has found that Europe’s ambitions to rely on electric vehicles for road transport leave it vulnerable to long-term dependency on China and the U.S. for battery technology, and threaten its ability to meet goals for reducing CO2 emissions from cars.

20/6/2023

Pfeifer & Langen GmbH & Co. KG

Pfeifer & Langen publishes new sustainability report

Sustainable management is an important core value for us (Pfeifer & Langen), according to which we have acted since our foundation and which runs as a common thread through our value chain from the field to the customer. As a traditional family business, we focus on topics to shape the future sustainably. We have taken a major step forward with the adoption of our Sustainability Strategy 2030. We have now published our new Sustainability Report 2023 under the title "Bearing Responsibility". For us, this is both an aspiration and an obligation. We act for the future of all of us, for the environment, for our employees, for our company. This report shows how advanced our family-owned company is in key sustainability issues and why sugar beet products not only stand for future-oriented and sustainable nutrition, but also offer solutions in the sense of a resource-saving circular economy.

19/6/2023

British Sugar (via LinkedIn)

Keith Packer appointed Managing Director of British Sugar

British Sugar announces that Keith Packer is starting today as Managing Director of British Sugar. Keith joins British Sugar from 2 Sisters Food Group, where he was most recently Managing Director of the Meal Solutions Division. Prior to this, he was the Chief Executive of Typhoo Tea. He has also held key commercial roles within Britvic, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, and Allied Bakeries. Keith said, “I’m excited to get started at the heart of the UK beet sugar sector. British Sugar is a company with a long history of producing high-quality sugar here in the UK, but we’re looking to the future – innovating on agri-tech, on decarbonisation and on minimising waste. I look forward to working with the fantastic team at British Sugar and with our growers, customers and stakeholders across the industry.”

19/6/2023

European Commission

The EU and Kenya close an ambitious trade agreement with strong trade and sustainability commitments.

The EU and Kenya have announced today the political conclusion of the negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The Agreement will boost trade in goods and create new economic opportunities, with targeted cooperation to enhance Kenya's economic development. It is the most ambitious EU trade deal with a developing country when it comes to sustainability provisions such as climate and environmental protection and labour rights.

19/6/2023

European Commission JRC MARS

Difficult start to summer affects yield outlook

Sunny and dry conditions in large parts of north-western, northern and northern-central Europe resulted in rapid depletion of soil moisture reserves, negatively affecting the yield potential of winter, spring, and summer crops. A distinct rainfall surplus in southern and northern parts of Italy, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia, resulted in waterlogged conditions, flooded areas and increased pest pressure, with negative impact (total losses in flooded areas) on winter crops.

19/6/2023

L'Institut Technique de la Betterave

The first symptoms of virus yellows are observed in France

Rainfall stimulates the development of sugar beet - and also reveals the first symptoms of virus yellows in cultivations without aphicide protection. As a reminder, this viral disease is brought by the green aphids Myzus persicae. Elisa tests are in progress to determine which types of virus (polerovirus and/or BYV) are present in these beets. As a reminder, there are 3 types of jaundice: Moderate yellows (BMYV, BChV): orange-yellow color from the tip of the leaf. Necrotic brown appearance at the edge of the leaves (secondary fungi). Severe yellows (BYV): lemon yellow coloring of the blade between the veins, thickened and brittle leaves. Appearance of small brown-red spots that join together. Thinning of the secondary veins (or etching of the leaves). Mosaic yellows (BtMV): lightening of the veins and appearance of small, pale, translucent spots on the leaves of the heart.

17/6/2023

Agrarheute

Plant protection ban: 4,000 ha of beets destroyed by weevils in Austria

In Austria, sugar beet growers have had to watch idly as thousands of hectares of beets are destroyed by the sugar beet weevil (Asproparthenis punctiventris). Since this year, emergency authorizations for neonicotinoids as beet dressings have been banned throughout the EU. As a result, there are no longer any effective means of combating some beet pests. In Austria, the ban has currently led to mass proliferation of the beetroot weevil - and to massive damage. More than 10 percent of the beet area has had to be plowed up. Around 4,000 of the 38,000 ha of beets in Austria were so badly damaged by the weevils this spring that they had to be plowed up. According to estimates by the Austrian Growers' Association, around 2,500 to 3,000 ha were again planted with beets. However, this replanted area is also threatened by weevils. Several insecticide treatments had to be carried out on these beet areas and individual rows or areas had to be overseeded.

15/6/2023

Cosun Beet Company

The use of sugar beet for bio-based materials and the effects on food security

Renewable Carbon Initiative, of which Cosun Beet Company is a founding member, publishes new insights into a hotly debated topic and urges for careful and evidence-based argumentation. In its latest publication, RCI provides data that the use of food and feed crops for anything other than food and feed uses – namely, for bio-based chemicals and materials – is not detrimental to food security and can have potential benefits.

11/6/2023

BBC

Danone boss calls for higher taxes on unhealthy food

The boss of one of the UK's biggest food firms is calling for higher taxes on salty, fatty and sugary foods. Food producers had not "shown enough appetite to change", said James Mayer, who runs Danone in the UK and Irish Republic. The French firm is best known for its yoghurt brands, but also owns bottled water brands Evian and Volvic. He said only 10% of Danone's own products would be affected by what have been dubbed "sin" taxes. "The UK food industry's efforts to improve the health profile of its products have not moved fast enough," Mr Mayer said in comments first shared with the Observer newspaper. He said it was time for "meaningful intervention" by the government.

8/6/2023

NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction

El Niño conditions are present and are expected to gradually strengthen into the Northern Hemisphere winter 2023-24.

In May, weak El Niño conditions emerged as above-average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) strengthened across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. All of the latest weekly Niño indices were more than +0.5°C: Niño-3.4 was +0.8°C, Niño-3 was +1.1°C, and Niño1+2 was +2.3°C. Area-averaged subsurface temperatures anomalies remained positive, reflecting the continuation of widespread anomalous warmth below the surface of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. For the May average, low-level wind anomalies were westerly over the western equatorial Pacific Ocean, while upper-level wind anomalies were westerly over the eastern Pacific Ocean. Convection was enhanced along the equator and was suppressed over Indonesia. Both the equatorial SOI and traditional SOI were significantly negative. Collectively, the coupled ocean-atmosphere system reflected the emergence of El Niño conditions.

6/6/2023

FoodIngredientsFirst

Was sugar underpriced? Soaring costs pinned on perfect storm of inflationary pressures

Inflation has caught up with the sugar sector, which is dealing with similar problems to the general food industry, such as high fertilizer prices, increased supply chain costs and El Niño storms. After an apparent slumber for sugar prices in 2022, when prices barely increased, 2023 has been a year of sudden rise for the commodity costs. “Sugar has over the past years been an under-priced product making up a small proportion of the total value of processed sugar products. In a sample of supermarket products undertaken by the European Association of Sugar Manufacturers (CEFS), in February 2023 prices sugar accounted for just 3% of the sales price of own-brand ice cream and 7% of the sales price of own-brand waffles,” Josh Gartland, deputy director general of CEFS, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

6/6/2023

Nordzucker AG

Nordzucker - EU market update

Nordzucker has successfully completed sugar production from sugar beet and sugar cane at all its factories in the seven European countries. Yields are behind the 5-year average due to heat and drought in many regions. Thus, beet sugar production has been almost 10% below previous year and the gap has been largely covered by processing raw cane sugar in our refineries in Finland and Poland. In Germany, Denmark and Lithuania, organic beet was again processed into organic sugar in the first days of the campaign. Sowing is now complete for the new season in all our countries. The period of drilling the beet seeds was repeatedly interrupted by rainfall and thus extended over an unusual long period. The sugar beet development varied accordingly and was delayed by an average of 14 days compared to previous years. In Lithuania, about 80 hectares had to be re-drilled after frost nights. Late sowing does not necessarily lead to lower production, but it is certainly not helpful.

6/6/2023

The Washington Post

Another Great Reason to Stop Eating Sugar

Europeans with a sweet tooth are having a bad summer. The market price of sugar has soared 80% in the past year, pushing up the cost of soft drinks, candy and ice cream. Though health officials probably think no price is high enough, sugar makes other food inflation look tame — and far less sticky. Sugar producers like Germany’s Suedzucker AG expect these massive price hikes to hold into the coming months, and they are cashing in. Sugar remains cheap in absolute terms, with cost increases mostly reflecting pressures beyond manufacturers’ control. Nevertheless, their high earnings will further fuel the “greedflation” debate amid a cost-of-living crisis.

5/6/2023

APK Inform (Ukraine)

Ukrainian sugar producers ask to postpone the ban on its export

The National Association of Sugar Producers of Ukraine "Ukrsugar" believes that the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to impose a ban on the export of sugar from Ukraine will prevent its producers from fulfilling already concluded export contracts and deprive them of foreign exchange earnings. It will also complicate the planning of work in the upcoming season for the enterprises of the industry, the acting director said. Chairman of the association Nazar Mikhailovin, the press service of "Ukrsugar" reported. As N. Mikhailovin explained, the government's decision to introduce a zero quota for sugar supplies abroad from June 5 to September 15 will hit the industry, since part of the sugar available in the country has already been contracted, and due to the ban, producers will not be able to fulfill the contracts and send the goods on time . In addition, this will have a negative impact on the amount of foreign exchange earnings of sugar factories.

2/6/2023

FoodIngredientsFirst

EU soft drinks manufacturers slash sugar content by 7.6% but call for packaging regulation changes

Aiming to create a healthier beverage system in Europe, the Union of European Soft Drinks Associations (UNESDA) is embarking on a sugar-reduction mission. The association remarks that the sector delivered a 7.6% reduction between 2019 and 2022, including a 4% reduction last year. “As a sector, we remain committed to making significant progress on our many EU Code of Conduct commitments. We have achieved impressive results in our health and nutrition actions and, in particular, in our sugar reduction, marketing and advertising practices and school policies,” says Ian Ellington, president of UNESDA and senior VP and CMO of PepsiCo in Europe. Ellington says that UNESDA is on track to meet its commitment to reduce the average added sugar in its beverages by another 10% between 2019 and 2025 (in the EU and UK). He pinpoints the success of the sector’s reformulation efforts “success” by using low and no-calorie sweeteners. For further information, see: https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/opinion/eu-policy-support-is-pivotal-to-industrys-ability-to-offer-more-sustainable-packaging-and-support-healthier-lifestyles/

1/6/2023

Reuters

Sugar group Tereos posts record core profit but cautious for 2023/24

Tereos posted record annual sales and earnings on Thursday supported by high prices but the French sugar and ethanol group expressed caution regarding the sugar beet crop and strength of demand in 2023/24. Tight global supplies sent global sugar futures to 11-1/2 year highs in April while European prices were reaching record levels. The company attributed the results to market momentum and an increase in prices across all its segments - sugar, alcohol, ethanol, sweeteners and electricity - strict cost control and well executed hedging strategies. These factors helped the group, one of the world's largest sugar and ethanol producers, contend with significant increases in raw material and energy prices, it added. A further expected rise in sugar prices would support Tereos' business in 2023/24 but it was too early to forecast improved results, incoming Chief Executive Jorge Boucas told Reuters. "There is a positive trend but there is uncertainty about our customers' sales. We must be careful about consumption which can have an impact on the markets," he said. The final volume of the European sugar beet harvest which is threatened by delays, pest attacks and weather, also made it difficult to predict the upcoming season, Commercial Director Olivier Leducq said.

31/5/2023

Reuters

Delays in EU beet sowing threaten to slow sugar output recovery

Widespread delays in sowing due to wet weather and potential pest attacks in France are threatening to limit an expected rise in the European Union’s sugar output this year after farmers were encouraged to plant more by high prices, producers said.

22/5/2023

European Commission - JRC MARS

An EU sugar beet yield penalty seems unavoidable given late sowing this year - JRC MARS

This season sowing of sugar beet was much delayed in many production regions including NE France, Germany and Poland due to wet conditions and below-average temperatures. The relatively cold weather and low level of solar radiation were also sub-optimal for early season development. Such significant delays are expected to have a negative impact on yield potentials. The extended sowing times resulted in uneven crop development across the regions. In Benelux, JRC notes that emergence has been fair but a yield penalty seems unavoidable, as canopy closure will be too late to optimally benefit from the long days in June. Aphid infections have already been reported in several regions, and require careful monitoring and control.

19/5/2023

Christopher Snowdon (via Substack)

Artificial sweeteners and the World Health Organisation

On the face of it, the simple fact that artificial sweeteners contain no calories should make them a better option, but there is an argument - as made by Mr Trump - that they increase appetite and make people eat more. Despite all the money pumped into public health research, neither of these hypotheses has been comprehensively proven or disproven. After decades of work, this field of research still feels like it is in its infancy. This wouldn’t matter so much if public policy wasn’t based on the shifting sands of quack science. If the WHO’s latest guidelines are correct, sugar taxes designed to encourage drinks manufacturers to replace sugar with sweeteners have been a waste of time and possibly even a deadly mistake. If they are wrong, it’s another reason to defund the corrupt and incompetent WHO.

16/5/2023

Agreste

Sugar beet area in France now estimated 5.3% lower than last year - Agreste

As sugar beet sowings are finishing (at last), the French ministry of agriculture (Agreste) estimates the area sown in France in 2023 at 380,000 ha, down 5.3% compared to 2022 and down 11.8% compared with the 2018-2022 average. The drop is more limited in Hauts-de-France (-5%) and in the Grand-Est (-2%) where sugar beet is one of the most important arable crops. Agreste also forecasts the maize acreage will fall sharply in 2023 compared to 2022, both grain (-7.6%) and seed (-7.4%) and fodder (-4.2%), with grain maize areas estimated at 1.3 million hectares (Mha), the lowest for more than thirty years. However, sunflower areas should progress slightly (+0.8%) and should reach 0.9 Mha, a record since the end of the 1990s. All in all, spring cereal areas should decrease for the second consecutive season, whilst the areas of winter cereals (common wheat, winter barley) have increased, and whilst those of oilseeds and protein crops would also increase.

9/5/2023

gov.uk

Australia UK sugar quota to open on 31 May 2023

The UK/Australia tariff-free sugar quota will be opened for a pro-rated quantity of 26,959 tonnes on 31 May 2023 until 30 September 2023, and thereafter increasing to 80,000 tonnes in 2023/24, 100,000 tonnes the next year, and then increasing by 20,000 tonnes per annum until sugar trade is fully liberalized after eight years. The sugar quota is open to all qualities of sugar, white and raw, under CN codes 1701.13; 1701.14; 1701.91; and 1701.99.

4/5/2023

Le Betteravier Français

The aphids have arrived!

The threshold for treatment against aphids was reached south of Paris, in Eure, Val d'Oise and Champagne. With rising temperatures, flightless green aphids are appearing in several departments. This is the case in the Val d'Oise, Eure and Sarthe, the south of Paris and Champagne. The treatment intervention level is reached in these regions: 10% of plants with at least 1 or 2 wingless green aphids, from the 2-leaf stage of beets. On the other hand, the threshold has not been crossed in the Somme or Nord-Pas-de-Calais, "The conditions are not very favorable to a presence of Myzus Persicae," says ITB Somme. "We must remain alert," said Benoît Carton, regional director of CGB Normandie.

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