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FARMING

Foreign taste for Italian cheese spurs sales

Exports of Italian cheese and dairy products rose to a new record worth €2.2 billion in 2014, as appetite for parmesan and gorgonzola grew in northern European countries, farm research body ISMEA said.

Published: 17 April 2015 08:05 CEST
Foreign taste for Italian cheese spurs sales
Demand for parmesan is especially robust in the UK. Photo: Shutterstock

Global cheese and dairy exports rose about five percent compared to 2013, despite an almost halving in shipments to Russia due to the crisis in Ukraine, and declines in exports to the US as a result of euro strength last year, ISMEA said in a statement this week.

While Italy’s economy shrank for a third year running in 2014, the increase in cheese and dairy exports mirrors a rise in Italian wine sales last year to record levels, which farming association Coldiretti has attributed to strong exports.

Among major export destinations, demand for parmesan was especially robust in Britain, and appetite for gorgonzola grew significantly in the Netherlands and Britain, ISMEA said. Exports of fresh cheeses grew mainly towards Germany and France.

Eastern European countries appear to be acquiring a taste for Italian dairy as well, with export volumes to Poland and Romania up 18 and 22 percent respectively. Demand from China, Korea and the United Arab Emirates rose significantly, though these are still relatively small markets, ISMEA said.

By Catherine Hornby

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POLITICS

France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

France has vowed to prevent a trade deal between the European Union and the South American Mercosur bloc from being signed with its current terms, as the country is rocked by farmer protests.

Published: 31 January 2024 15:46 CET
France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

The trade deal, which would include agricultural powers Argentina and Brazil, is among a litany of complaints by farmers in France and elsewhere in Europe who have been blocking roads to demand better conditions for their sector.

They fear it would further depress their produce prices amid increased competition from exporting nations that are not bound by strict and costly EU environmental laws.

READ ALSO Should I cancel my trip to France because of farmers’ protests?

“This Mercosur deal, as it stands, is not good for our farmers. It cannot be signed as is, it won’t be signed as is,” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told broadcasters CNews and Europe 1.

The European Commission acknowledged on Tuesday that the conditions to conclude the deal with Mercosur, which also includes Paraguay and Uruguay, “are not quite there yet”.

The talks, however, are continuing, the commission said.

READ ALSO 5 minutes to understand French farmer protests

President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that France opposes the deal because it “doesn’t make Mercosur farmers and companies abide by the same rules as ours”.

The EU and the South American nations have been negotiating since 2000.

The contours of a deal were agreed in 2019, but a final version still needs to be ratified.

The accord aims to cut import tariffs on – mostly European – industrial and pharmaceutical goods, and on agricultural products.

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