The EU wants limits on Ukraine's farm sales and farm subsidies to stay after Ukraine joins. Ukraine's farm minister says it cannot agree

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25 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Drones hit two ships off Bulgaria

   Sea and air drones hit two Turkish-owned cargo ships off Bulgaria at about 3am on Tuesday. [5][7] The Alfa Watan sank, and rescuers found only an overturned lifeboat and life jackets. [6][7] The second ship, the Able, was carrying wheat, and a Bulgarian ferry rescued all 18 of its crew. [5][6] It was the first attack on shipping in the sea zone of Bulgaria, a NATO member, a day after a ship carrying Ukrainian grain sank off Romania. [5][7] A separate attack near Odesa, a Ukrainian port city, killed a sailor on a third ship. [6]

   Why it matters — Bulgaria's prime minister, Rumen Radev, said the attacks are pushing up insurance costs and making shipping in the Black Sea extremely difficult. [5] Bulgaria has not said who sent the drones. [5]

2. 03

   The EU counts its drought losses

   The Joint Research Centre, the European Commission's science service, has confirmed how much this summer's heat and drought cut Europe's crops. [8] Against an average year, soya bean yields fell 15%, fresh forage maize 14%, sugar beet 11%, grain maize 8% and potatoes 7%. [8] Wheat and other winter crops had mostly finished growing before the worst heat, so their yields stayed close to the five-year average. [8] In the worst areas maize ripened up to three weeks early, and some fields were abandoned. [8]

   Soya beans15%

   Forage maize14%

   Sugar beet11%

   Grain maize8%

   Potatoes7%

   Why it matters — Total losses will be bigger than the yield figures show, because abandoned fields were not harvested at all. [8] Livestock farmers lost grass and feed maize at the same time, and some cut their herds. [8] The European Dairy Association said the heat briefly lowered the fat and protein in milk. [9]

3. 04

   A sulfur shortage squeezes fertiliser

   Phosphate fertiliser makers around the world, including in the US, are cutting output because they cannot get enough sulfur, said Veronica Nigh of The Fertilizer Institute, a US industry group. [10] Sulfur is the main raw material for phosphate fertiliser. [10] Supply is short because the Strait of Hormuz is closed and Russia is selling less. [10] In August, Illinois farmers paid about $916 a ton for a nitrogen fertiliser, 16% more than in 2025, and $912 for a phosphate one, 7% more. [10]

   Why it matters — President Trump has promised cheaper potash from Belarus, but potash is the fertiliser farmers worry about least, Nigh said. [10] A new phosphate mine takes about ten years to build, so the shortage cannot be fixed quickly. [10]

4. 05

   US farmers' mood drops sharply

   A monthly survey of 400 US farmers by Purdue University and CME Group, a big futures exchange, fell 12 points in September, from 135 to 123. [11] A record 52% named the cost of things like fuel, seed and fertiliser as their biggest worry. [11] Only 22% expect their farm to be better off in a year, and 35% expect to be worse off. [11] For the first time since Purdue began asking, fewer than half said the US is heading in the right direction. [11]

   22%Expect a better year

   vsvs

   35%Expect a worse year

   Why it matters — Joana Colussi, a Purdue economist, said the growing gloom about the next 12 months is very clear. [12] Farmers still expect their land to hold its value: that measure reached a record 168. [11]

5. 06

   Diesel tax is put off, not scrapped

   President Trump's order of Monday lets anyone run road vehicles on red-dyed diesel, the untaxed fuel kept for tractors, until 31 December. [13][14] It does not abolish the federal tax of 24.4 cents a gallon. [13] It postpones paying it, without interest or penalty, and asks the US Treasury to find a way to cancel it. [13][14] Unless it does, the tax is still owed after 31 December. [13] US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the order would save about $640 million. [15]

   Why it matters — Prices for live cattle on the futures market, where traders agree prices for later delivery, jumped $4.12 on Tuesday partly because of the order. [16] Trump signed it at a rally in Nebraska, weeks before the US midterm elections. [13]

6. 07

   The EU stops Namibian beef

   The European Union said on Monday it has stopped imports of fresh beef, sheep and goat meat from Namibia. [17] Last month Namibia found foot-and-mouth disease, a fast-spreading illness of cattle and sheep, in its main commercial cattle area, the first case there in 60 years. [17] The EU takes more than 80% of Namibia's beef exports, about 10 million kilograms a year. [17] Meat treated hard enough to kill the virus may still enter. [17]

   Why it matters — The EU's ambassador said about a quarter of the 40,000 jobs tied to exports to Europe would be affected. [17] Europe culled more than six million animals in its own outbreak in 2001. [17]

7. 08

   Food stores run low in South Sudan

   The World Food Programme, the UN's food aid agency, says more than a million people in South Sudan could lose food aid unless more money arrives. [18] Its store in Malakal held 10,000 tonnes of food at this time last year and holds less than 300 tonnes now. [18] About 3,000 refugees and returnees cross from war-torn Sudan every week. [18] The agency says it is short of $86 million now, and $416 million over the next six months. [18]

   10,000 tMalakal store, last year

   vsvs

   under 300 tMalakal store, now

   Why it matters — The WFP says 7.8 million people, more than half the country, face high levels of hunger, and 2.2 million children are acutely malnourished. [18] It has already cut rations. [18]

8. 09

   FAO official says he was fired over Gaza

   Benjamin Davis, who ran a division of the FAO, the UN's food and farming agency, says it refused to renew his contract because of his work on hunger in Gaza. [19] His team published a paper on hunger in Gaza in 2025, and he joined weekly silent vigils at the agency in Rome. [19] The FAO's head, Qu Dongyu, said last week that he fires senior staff who play political games. [19] The FAO did not answer the Guardian's questions. [19]

   Why it matters — Qu said he would use his last year in office to fire more people who break the rules. [19] Davis, who worked there for 26 years, has appealed and wants his job back. [19]

9. 10

   The UAE caps salt, sugar and fat

   The United Arab Emirates approved limits on Tuesday on how much salt, sugar and fat packaged foods may contain, whether made there or imported. [20] Leavened bread, for example, may hold at most 6 grams of sugar per 100 grams at first, falling to 5 grams later. [20] Firms that break the rules face fines of up to 500,000 dirhams, about $136,000, or closure for up to six months. [20] All products must meet the final limits by the end of 2030. [20]

   Why it matters — The health ministry says the aim is to tackle obesity and illnesses linked to poor diets. [20] Food firms selling there must change recipes, and can ask for more time if a cut would be bigger than 20%. [20]

10. 11

    Sainsbury's walked away from Morrisons

    Sainsbury's, a big British supermarket chain, walked away from merger talks with its rival Morrisons, the Financial Times reported. [21] Sainsbury's holds 15.2% of the UK grocery market and Morrisons 8.4%, against 27.8% for Tesco, the biggest. [21] Morrisons has been owned for five years by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private investment firm that paid 7 billion pounds for it. [21] Guardian columnist Nils Pratley argued that Sainsbury's does not need the deal. [21]

    Tesco27.8%

    Sainsbury's15.2%

    Morrisons8.4%

    Why it matters — Pratley expects Britain's competition regulator to demand that the pair sell some shops before any merger. [21] Morrisons also owns 18 food factories, which the two firms could use to argue the deal helps Britain's food supply. [21]

11. 12

    Cattle broker pleads guilty in Agridime fraud

    Taylor Bang, a cattle broker from North Dakota, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud over Agridime, a Texas cattle investment firm. [22] Agridime sold investors cattle on paper, at $2,000 a head, and a federal judge ruled in 2024 that it was a Ponzi scheme, paying earlier investors with newer investors' money. [22] It owed investors about $220 million when it was shut down in 2023. [22] North Dakota has now ordered Bang's business to stop buying and selling livestock. [22]

    Why it matters — Investors in North Dakota alone were owed about $40 million. [22] Bang is due to be sentenced on 7 January and faces up to five years in prison. [22]

12. 13

    Food recalls got bigger, not more frequent

    A claim that US food recalls are up 400% this year spread on social media without a source, writes Roger Hancock, head of Recall InfoLink, a recall-data company. [23] The number of recalls barely changed: 1,634 in the first half of 2026, against 1,636 a year earlier. [23] What grew was their size, with the number of items recalled rising from 211.2 million to 941.2 million. [23] He says that is because a few large suppliers now serve many brands. [23]

    Items recalled, first half 2025211.2 m

    Items recalled, first half 2026941.2 m

    Why it matters — So one contaminated batch can now reach many shops at once, as this summer's lettuce parasite reached Taco Bell and several grocery brands. [23] Getting it off shelves fast then depends on tracing where each product came from. [23]

13. 14

    FDA's outbreak teams looked at 69 cases

    The FDA, the US agency that checks most food, published its 2025 report on its outbreak teams this week. [24] They looked at 69 possible outbreaks or incidents, started 26 responses and issued 11 public warnings. [24] The report did not mention that the teams looked at 137 incidents in 2013, the highest year. [24] Its cases included Salmonella in cucumbers and botulism, a rare poisoning, in powdered baby formula. [24]

    Why it matters — For mangoes, cilantro, parsley, salad mix and sprouts, the FDA linked a food to illnesses but issued no public warning. [24] It says that usually happens when it lacks enough information while people are still at risk. [24]

14. 15

    Rocket from Italy linked to Salmonella in Sweden

    Sixteen people in Sweden fell ill with Salmonella Napoli, a rare type of the bacteria, in an outbreak linked to rocket, the salad leaf also called arugula. [25] Eleven of the twelve people questioned had bought rocket from the same supermarket chain. [25] One patient had kept the empty bag, and Sweden's food agency traced it to Italy. [25] Sweden recorded only eight cases of this type in all of 2025. [25]

    Why it matters — The batch could not be tested, because none of it was left. [25] In Uppsala, meals for 400 home-care users were recalled over Listeria, and deliveries have now started again. [25]

15. 16

    US warns about Jamaican tinned sausages

    The USDA's food safety service issued a public warning about tinned chicken Vienna sausages from Jamaica, sold under the Grace brand. [26] Jamaica is not allowed to export meat or poultry to the US, so the tins came in illegally. [26] They reached shops in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland and Texas. [26] Inspectors found them during routine checks of imported food. [26]

    Why it matters — No one has reported falling ill. [26] The agency is still working out how the tins got into the country. [26]

16. 17

    Same nutrients, different body response

    A study published this week in a Nature journal gave 57 healthy-weight adults two meals with the same nutrients, one ultra-processed and one not. [27] Ultra-processed foods are factory-made products with additives not used in home cooking. [27] After the ultra-processed meal, people's bodies released more insulin, the hormone that moves sugar out of the blood. [27] Their brains also responded differently to pictures of food. [27]

    Why it matters — The authors say processing may change how the body handles food in ways that calories and nutrients alone do not explain. [27] The study measured how bodies responded to a meal, not long-term health. [27]

17. 18

    Ferrero aims to lead US sweets

    Ferrero, the Luxembourg-based maker of Nutella and Kinder, says it wants to become the biggest sweet-food company in the US. [28] Its US sales grew from $300 million in 2017 to more than $11 billion last year, after it spent over $8 billion buying brands such as Keebler cookies. [28] It aims for $20 billion within ten years. [28] It will spend $50 million on US sports advertising in 2027, double last year's figure. [28]

    Why it matters — That makes it about as big in the US as Hershey, the maker of Reese's. [28] It is also moving into protein snacks, and has relaunched Power Crunch bars, which it bought in 2025. [29]

18. 19

    Cow-free whey protein nears factory scale

    Verley, a French start-up, makes beta-lactoglobulin, one of the proteins in whey, using microbes in tanks instead of cows. [30] This is called precision fermentation. [30] It is moving to 200,000-litre tanks at a contract maker and plans to start selling next year. [30] Its boss, Stephane Mac Millan, says it already matches the price of more than $40 a kilo that Arla, a Danish dairy group, charges for the same protein taken from milk. [30]

    Why it matters — The protein can pack 25 grams into a 100ml drink, he says, which other proteins cannot. [30] Verley has clearance in the US and hopes for EU approval in two to three years. [30]

19. 20

    Sheep farmers plan 350,000 bluetongue jabs

    A survey of 1,400 sheep farmers by the UK's National Sheep Association found 65% plan to vaccinate their flocks against bluetongue next year, after a season when far more flocks were hit. [31] That would need about 350,000 doses. [31] This season 40% of farmers could not get a vaccine at all. [31] Confirmed cases reached 2,408 by the end of September, against 348 the season before. [31] Making the vaccine takes several months, the association said. [31]

    Why it matters — Seventy-three per cent of farmers said they would rather buy sheep that are already vaccinated. [31] The association wants vaccine ordered early through vets, and 74% of farmers said they were open to that. [31]

20. 21

    Few young farmers in England

    The average farmer in England is 59, more than a third are over 65, and only 5% are under 35, says the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs. [32] Its new paper, Proud to Farm, wants that share tripled to 15% by 2036. [32] It asks for help with renting farms, rural housing, grants for equipment and better farm education. [32]

    1 of 20

    farmers in England under 35

    Why it matters — The federation says British farming faces a "significant demographic cliff edge" unless action is taken. [32] It wants both the UK government and the farm industry to act. [32]

21. 22

    2,000 tonnes of rubbish dumped on a farm

    Criminals dumped about 2,000 tonnes of shredded rubbish on a rented field farmed by the Sell family near Grays in Essex, between 20 August and 3 September. [33] Clearing it will cost about 350,000 pounds. [33] In England the landowner must pay to remove waste dumped on private land, unless the dumpers are caught and a court orders them to pay. [33] About 200 tonnes of maize grown to feed the family's cattle may be ruined. [33]

    Why it matters — In a survey of 515 members of the NFU, the farmers' union, 49% said fly-tipping had got worse in their area in five years. [33] The National Audit Office found that higher landfill taxes made dumping more profitable for criminal gangs. [33]

22. 23

    Fire services short of wildfire kit

    The CLA, which represents rural landowners in England and Wales, asked 47 fire services about wildfires, and 29 replied. [34] Over half said they have no protective clothing made for wildfires, and a third have no drones to track fires. [34] In West Yorkshire only 15% of firefighters hold a current wildfire certificate. [34] On-call fire engines were out of action for 32% of the year on average. [34]

    Why it matters — Councils are seeing more fires: 77% recorded more in the first half of 2026 than in all of 2024. [34] The CLA wants the ban on controlled burning of moorland lifted, and the UK government says it will hold a summit with fire services. [34]

23. 24

    Bird flu found in a Wisconsin backyard flock

    Wisconsin has confirmed highly pathogenic bird flu in a backyard flock in Racine County. [35] It is the state's second case this autumn, after one on a commercial farm in Barron County last month. [35]

    Why it matters — Two cases in two months show the virus is active in Wisconsin again as winter approaches. [35]

24. 25

    US ethanol exports hit a five-month high

    The US exported 211.8 million gallons of ethanol in August, the most in five months and 6% more than in July, the Renewable Fuels Association says. [36] Ethanol is a fuel mixed into petrol, and in the US it is made mostly from corn. [36] Canada stayed the biggest buyer. [36] The trade group credits strong demand abroad for lower-carbon fuels. [36]

    Why it matters — Those sales support a large share of the corn US farmers grow, at a time when a record share of them name costs as their biggest worry. [36][11]

25. 26

    AI search finds new ways to fight crop pests

    Enko Chem, a US company, says its AI system has found new ways for fungicides and insecticides to work, known as modes of action. [37] It says the system finds them 75% faster and at 90% lower cost than usual research. [37] Its fungicide targets are processes that fungi need but animals lack. [37] Its insecticide targets avoid the nervous system, which many current sprays attack. [37]

    Why it matters — Pests and fungi are becoming resistant to many current products, and a changing climate is moving where they appear, the company says. [37] What it has announced are discoveries, not products for sale. [37]