Ukraine - State Budget for 2008 includes 200 million UAH (appr. 40 million USD) for crop insurance subsidies
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted regulation #302 dated April 02, 2008 on crop insurance subsidies for 2008. With the help of this money farmers can insure approximately 8 million hectares of agricultural crops. In 2005 only 934 crop insurance contracts were purchased by farmers who insured 390 thousand hectares of crops. Unfavourable year of 2007 proved that insurance can be an effective instrument for managing weather risks. Last year crops suffered from severe drought, hail and other weather risks. In 2008 Government of Ukraine will provide subsidies for insurance of such crops as wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, soy beens, flax, canola, sunflower, hops, sugar beet, triticale, peas, buckwheat, millet and hemp. Government will compensate to farmers 50% of the premium paid on MPCI crop insurance contracts. Premium rate should be not higher than 5% with deductible at the level of 30%. Insurance sum should be calculated on the basis of minimum purchase prices as established by the government. Premium subsidies will be paid if spring crops were insured by July 1, 2008 and winter crops insurance contracts signed by November 25, 2008. The contracts should be purchased only from the licensed insurance companies.
11.05.2008 USA - Study recommends livestock industry changes A controversial 2 1/2-year study recommends significant changes in the U.S. industrial livestock production system. The recently-released National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production focused on four areas: Public health, the environment, animal welfare and rural communities.
11.05.2008 USA - Moving of livestock disease possible United States officials are preparing to transport the same disease that wreaked havoc among cattle populations in the United Kingdom to a location on the U.S. mainland from its current secure location on Plum Island, New York. Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious virus found in cloven-hoofed animals. Infected animals are extremely weak and remain infectious if they survive the disease. The United States government is contemplating the transfer of the virus to one of five locations around the country. The lab currently containing the virus, Plum Island, is located about 100 miles northeast of the city of New York and can only be accessed by helicopter or ferry. Workers at the Plum Island facility are subjected to strict rules regarding activities that could spread the virus.
11.05.2008 USA - Big farms can be bad for your health In 1950 the United States produced about the name number of hogs as it does today, on significantly more farms, smaller farms and with many more workers. At first glance it could appear that the public has only benefited from our rapid agricultural industrialization, through lower food costs, yet the change has come with large hidden price tags that we're slowly beginning to discover. The middle of a worldwide food crisis may seem an odd time to worry about a system that's delivered enormous amounts of relatively cheap and reasonably high quality food. But in fact long-term sustainability issues lie at the heart of decisions we'll need to make going forward, because the current system poses unacceptable risks to public health, the environment, our rural communities and the welfare of the animals themselves.
11.05.2008 Kenya - Country Under Fresh Threat From Rift Valley Fever The new warning by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) follows an acute outbreak of the viral disease on the Island of Madagascar, off the coastline of East Africa. Analysts said the alarm by NASA and OIE would come handy for Kenya after a serious blunder in 2006 when Government officials ignored a warning only for the country to be hit hard by an outbreak of the disease that left more than 155 people killed and more than 700 infected. North Eastern province bore the brunt of the attack with 333 cases of infections reported, closely followed by Rift Valley province with 141 cases while Coast and Central provinces recorded 14 and 13 incidents respectively.
11.05.2008 USA - Kansas farm income more than doubled in 2007 Bolstered by good fall crops and soaring commodity prices, Kansas farm families saw their income more than double in 2007, a new report shows. The average net farm income in Kansas last year was $115,035, according to the Kansas Farm Management Association at Kansas State University. That compared with a statewide average of $46,593 the previous year. The report was compiled from 1,453 Kansas farms that participate in the KFMA program, one of the nation's largest with 20 economists working with farming operations. The average value of farm production among its members statewide last year was pegged at $407,787, with average farm expenses of $292,752. The average government payment per farm was $24,000.
11.05.2008 Canada - Deep fruit freeze devastates Okanagan orchards Okanagan fruit growers are anxiously checking the flowers in their budding orchards to see how badly their crops were hit by an unseasonably cold spring topped off by an Arctic front two weeks ago. Cherry and apricot orchards have been particularly devastated, with some growers believing about 90 per cent of their fruit has been killed off or damaged by the deep freeze. The remaining orchards and vineyards growing the grapes, apples and peaches for which the Okanagan is famous report flowering taking place two to three weeks later than normal.
25.03.2008 Ukraine - Agricultural insurance seminar was conducted on March 18 for specialists of Providna insurance company. Seminar on agricultural insurance was conducted on March 18, 2008 for the specialists of insurance company Providna. Participants were trained on basics of agricultural insurance, specifics of crop and livestock insurance, principles of survey and loss adjustment. Training event was prepared by the experts of IFC Agri-insurance Development Project 27.10.2007 Global Animal Health Initiative: the Way Forward” in collaboration with the FAO at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC (USA), October 9, 10 and 11 2007. The World Bank and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) co-organised a Conference on “Global Animal Health Initiative: the Way Forward” in collaboration with the FAO at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC (USA), October 9, 10 and 11 2007. 123 participants coming from international and regional organizations, representatives of governments of developing and developed countries from the five continents, and the private sector, stressed the importance and urgency of improving the governance and infrastructure worldwide in the field of veterinary zoonoses and animal diseases prevention and control mechanisms, as well as private-public partnership in the implementation of specific programs directed to animal health.
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Events
The World Bank and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) co-organised a Conference on “Global Animal Health Initiative: the Way Forward” in collaboration with the FAO at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC (USA), October 9, 10 and 11 2007. 123 participants coming from international and regional organizations, representatives of governments of developing and developed countries from the five continents, and the private sector, stressed the importance and urgency of improving the governance and infrastructure worldwide in the field of veterinary zoonoses and animal diseases prevention and control mechanisms, as well as private-public partnership in the implementation of specific programs directed to animal health.
