Latest news with #dairyfarmers
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Dairy farmers face crisis as drought causes grass fails
Dairy farmers are facing a crisis, spending thousands of pounds feeding their cattle grain that should be saved for the year's long, dry spring - the warmest and sunniest on record - has forced many farmers to take unprecedented action. Sarah Godwin, a dairy farmer in north Wiltshire, has had to take feed out to her cows for the first time in her life. She said she had "never known a season like this, never known the heat, the lack of rain, and for so long".Professor Nicola Cannon from the Royal Agricultural University blamed the record dry spring, which is "warming the fastest of all seasons". When I arrived at Mrs Godwin's family dairy farm near Chippenham, they were taking breakfast out to their like a lot of West Country dairy farms, the cows are out in the fields all summer, just grazing on rich natural not this year."The grass is completely dried up," Mrs Godwin explained. "There's no goodness in it, it's just completely stalky with no nutritional value at all." When the tractor comes through the gate, pulling a rack of rich cattle feed, the cows run alongside. They know what is coming, and they can't rack is soon invisible, lost in a crowd of happy cows, all feasting on the perfect nutritional ration of they shouldn't be eating this till October at least, when the grass is gone and they come inside.I asked Mrs Godwin if she had ever had to do this before."Never," she said quickly.I have heard this is happening on dairy farms across the West Country, as the long dry spring turned into a hot summer, and the grass faded. To find out exactly what is going on, I went to an experimental test field in Gloucestershire. A classic grazing meadow, fringed by beech trees. It is tended by experts from the Royal Agricultural University, and scrutinised by Prof Cannon."Look at these stems," she showed me, grasping a handful of brown grass."If this was cut for hay, you see how there is no leaf on it?"It's the leaf which contains the sugar, which is the tasty bit, the nutritious bit." They say you should make hay while the sun shines, and farmers have been doing just that. But many have found hay that is crisp and dry, even powdery. There just are not enough leaves on the Wiltshire, yields are down 50%.The summer is now here in earnest, the Met Office has officially declared heat it is not summer that has done the damage, it was Office figures show spring 2025 was the warmest and sunniest on record, and the driest since 1893."And spring is the most important season for plant growth," explained Prof Cannon."So even when the sun came, the grass can't use that energy, because it never grew properly in the first place."Back on Mrs Godwin's farm, the cows are settling down for a nap after their healthy breakfast, unaware how the climate is changing around them.I asked her how they will cope, how they will change in the long smiled ruefully, "I don't know Dave, maybe we should grow wine instead?" What is climate change? Climate change is the long-term shift in the Earth's average temperatures and weather world has been warming up quickly over the past 100 years or so. As a result, weather patterns are 2015 and 2024, global temperatures were on average around 1.28C above those of the late 19th Century, according to the European Copernicus climate the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one, the UK Met Office year 2024 was the world's hottest on record, with climate change mainly responsible for the high was also the first calendar year to surpass 1.5C of warming compared to pre-industrial levels, according to Copernicus.
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Trump Threatens Higher Tariffs on Canada in the Middle of Trade Talks
President Trump threatened on Thursday to impose a 35 percent tariff on Canadian imports, upending negotiations between the countries that had Canada's representatives hopeful that a trade deal could be reached in a matter of weeks. Mr. Trump posted a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada on social media outlining his latest threat. He said the new, higher tariff rate for Canada would go into effect on Aug. 1, though it was unclear if it would affect all Canadian goods, or if he would follow through. Mr. Carney's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Mr. Trump's letter. The letter to Canada resembled the format of letters Mr. Trump has sent to nearly two dozen American trading partners this week. But it deviated from the other letters by accusing Canada of having 'financially retaliated' against the United States with its own tariffs. It also raised Mr. Trump's repeated assertion — unsupported by American and Canadian data — that Canada had not done enough to stop the flow of fentanyl across the U.S.-Canada border, as well as his complaints about Canada's high tariffs on U.S. dairy farmers. Mr. Trump also suggested that the new tariffs were subject to further negotiations ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline. 'These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,' Mr. Trump concluded. Tariffs of 35 percent, if applied widely, could harm Canada's export-dependent economy, which relies heavily on the United States, it's biggest trading partner. Earlier this year, Mr. Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada but then exempted most products that qualify as North American under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade pact he signed in his first term. The exceptions were for steel and aluminum, which now have a 50 percent charge, and vehicles, which take into account American components. Mr. Trump also set a lower tariff rate for oil, fertilizer and energy products from Canada. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Times
11-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Trump to impose 35% tariffs on Canada and increase blanket levies
President Trump has announced plans to impose 35 per cent tariffs on imports from Canada after months of escalating threats. Trump cited Canada's 'failure to stop [fentanyl-laced drugs] from pouring into our country' and its 'extraordinary tariffs to [US] dairy farmers' as the reason for the levies, which will take effect from the start of next month. 'If Canada works with me to stop the flow of fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter,' Trump wrote to Mark Carney, the Canadian prime minister, in a letter he posted on Truth Social. 'These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country. You will never be disappointed by the United States of America.' Trump, who has launched an unprecedented trade war since returning to office, also announced plans to impose higher blanket tariffs of 15 to 20 per cent on most trade partners who have not received a tariff letter from him. At present, all blanket tariffs are set at 10 per cent. 'We're just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it's 20 per cent or 15 per cent. We'll work that out now,' Trump told NBC News in a phone call. Trump first signalled his intent to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico on his first day in office, saying in his inauguration address that he was poised to 'tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens'. He followed through with an executive order on February 1, which Canada and Mexico promised to retaliate against with tariffs against the US. The president later agreed to a 30-day pause as he discussed national security concerns with Mexico and Canada. The tariffs went into effect in March, with exceptions to products covered under the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Trump also levied 10 per cent on Canadian energy. The letter on Thursday comes after months of political friction between the two nations. Trump's remarks about annexing Canada as the 51st US state, which he made during an Oval Office meeting with Carney in May and again as recently as last week, have been unequivocally rejected by the Canadian prime minister, who has said his country was 'not for sale'. At the Nato summit in the Netherlands in January, Carney told CNN that he believed Trump 'admired' and at one point 'coveted' Canada, adding that the American president was 'making sure all members of Nato, Canada included, pay their fair share'. This week, Trump has sent letters to 21 countries, including Japan, South Korea and Brazil, threatening them with tariffs. Trump said that if Canada retaliated, 'whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 35 per cent that we charge'.
Japan Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Butter's global price surge hits croissants and kitchens alike
At the Mamiche bakeries in the 9th and 10th arrondissements of Paris, their famous pains au chocolat and croissants depend on an essential but increasingly scarce ingredient — butter. The bakery's regular supplier can no longer provide a steady flow of French beurre de tourage, a type of flat butter used to make the pastries. Mamiche has gone searching elsewhere to ensure the steady flow of sweet treats from its ovens, but it's coming with a cost. Butter prices in most of the world are lingering near record highs, with little end in sight to the surge. It's the result of a complex interplay of factors — challenges faced by dairy farmers from France to New Zealand, changes in Asian consumers' appetites that's spurring global demand, and commercial decisions by milk processors defending their bottom line. The end result is more cost pressure on consumers' favorite foods. "When we have to change supplier, we can really see the difference' said Robin Orsoni, commercial operator for Mamiche. Other providers are charging prices 25% to 30% higher, but Mamiche has to absorb the cost because "we want to make our customers happy, we need the butter.' Around 70% of the butter exported around the world comes from two places — Europe and New Zealand. Each began 2025 with historically low stockpiles, and this supply tightness has caused prices to spike to a record, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. The roots of the squeeze can be traced back to 2022, when the price of milk in Europe peaked as inflation and fuel costs hit farmers hard, pushing dairy processors to look at the best way to maximize profits. Butter is made by removing cream from raw milk and churning it. Once the process is complete, you are left with butter and buttermilk, the latter of which "has some industrial uses, but those are relatively limited,' said Monika Tothova, an economist at the FAO. It's used for some cooking, to make other dairy products, and for livestock feed. In contrast, "if you make cheese, you process the entire volume of milk,' said Tothova. Even the by-product from cheese-making, called whey, is in high demand from commercial food makers for flavoring and nutrition, or gym enthusiasts to bulk out the protein in their diets. Sourdough egg tarts for sale at Bakehouse in Hong Kong | Bloomberg European Union dairy processors have been making more and more cheese. As a result, the bloc's butter production has steadily declined and is expected to hit an eight-year low this season, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Milk production, itself, is also becoming more challenging. In Europe, farmers' herd sizes are shrinking due to financial pressures, and they now face added risks to their cows from bluetongue virus, said Jose Saiz, a dairy market analyst at price reporting agency Expana. Lumpy skin disease, which can curb an infected cows' milk yields, is also making its way into Italy and France. Just as butter has fallen out of favor with dairy processors, consumers are developing a stronger taste for it, particularly in Asia. Global consumption of butter is expected to grow 2.7% in 2025, outpacing production, according to the USDA. In China, demand has already grown by 6% in just one year. Usage in Taiwan between 2024 and 2025 rose 4%, while in India, the world's largest consumer, it is up 3%. Hong Kong's French bakery chain, Bakehouse, has been tapping into Asian consumers' changing tastes. Its annual butter use is currently about 180 tons, an increase of 96 tons from the prior year after they opened two new stores, in addition to another 180 tons of cream, according to co-founder Gregoire Michaud. The firm only buys from well established suppliers — New Zealand has a top-tier reputation, but China isn't good enough yet, he said. In New Zealand, which is a major dairy exporter and produces about 2.5% of global milk supply, butter production has yet to return to prepandemic levels, fluctuating around 500,000 tons a year since 2020. As in Paris, supply scarcity and high butter prices have forced Hong Kong's Bakehouse to cycle through three different providers in just a short period — from Australia, to New Zealand and then Belgium. Now, they're potentially looking for a fourth. Western consumers are also eating more butter, which for years was shunned for being unhealthy, as they look to cut ultra-processed foods out of their diets. Purchases of pure block butter in the U.K. have grown, said Susie Stannard, lead dairy analyst at the U.K. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. "Consumers who can afford it will still buy butter,' she said, but they aren't immune from price pressures. At the newly opened Morchella restaurant in London's Clerkenwell district, the brown butter and bread that was so popular at its sister eatery, Perilla in Newington Green, has been replaced with olive oil. Before the recent price hikes, "you'd put a lot of butter into the pan to base that piece of fish and meat,' said Ben Marks, who heads up the kitchens at Perilla. "Now, you've just got be much cleverer.' City workers outside an ice cream kiosk at lunchtime during a heat wave in London on July 1. | Bloomberg Relief for consumers isn't expected to come any time soon. Butter prices are also affected by the global conflicts, supply chain disruptions and tariff wars that have roiled every other commodity. Amid this "very hot market,' Hong Kong's Bakehouse is now prioritizing butter from closer providers to avoid a loss of supply, said Michaud. Orsoni said Mamiche will absorb the higher cost of butter to keep French staples affordable for its customers, but Perilla's Marks said it's "inevitable' that diners will face higher prices. The heat wave seen in Europe in recent weeks could also exacerbate the situation. High temperatures can reduce yields from dairy cows, while also pushing up demand for other products that compete with butter for the fatty cream taken off the top of milk. Tennis fans reaching for cream to accompany their strawberries as they watch Wimbledon, or workers cooling down with an ice cream in city plazas, "can only hold butter prices up,' said Stannard.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Butter's global price surge hits croissants and kitchens alike
(Bloomberg) — At the Mamiche bakeries in the 9th and 10th arrondissements of Paris, their famous pains au chocolat and croissants depend on an essential but increasingly scarce ingredient — butter. Foreign Buyers Swoop on Cape Town Homes, Pricing Out Locals Trump's Gilded Design Style May Be Gaudy. But Don't Call it 'Rococo.' Massachusetts to Follow NYC in Making Landlords Pay Broker Fees NYC Commutes Resume After Midtown Bus Terminal Crash Chaos What Gothenburg Got Out of Congestion Pricing The bakery's regular supplier can no longer provide a steady flow of French beurre de tourage, a type of flat butter used to make the pastries. Mamiche has gone searching elsewhere to ensure the steady flow of sweet treats from its ovens, but it's coming with a cost. Butter prices in most of the world are lingering near record highs, with little end in sight to the surge. It's the result of a complex interplay of factors — challenges faced by dairy farmers from France to New Zealand, changes in Asian consumers' appetites that's spurring global demand, and commercial decisions by milk processors defending their bottom line. The end result is more cost pressure on consumers' favorite foods. 'When we have to change supplier, we can really see the difference' said Robin Orsoni, commercial operator for Mamiche. Other providers are charging prices 25% to 30% higher but Mamiche has to absorb the cost because 'we want to make our customers happy, we need the butter.' Around 70% of the butter exported around the world comes from two places — Europe and New Zealand. Each began 2025 with historically low stockpiles, and this supply tightness has caused prices to spike to a record, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. The roots of the squeeze can be traced back to 2022, when the price of milk in Europe peaked as inflation and fuel costs hit farmers hard, pushing dairy processors to look at the best way to maximize profits. Butter is made by removing cream from raw milk and churning it. Once the process is complete, you are left with butter and buttermilk, the latter of which 'has some industrial uses, but those are relatively limited,' said Monika Tothova, an economist at the FAO. It's used for some cooking, to make other dairy products, and for livestock feed. In contrast, 'if you make cheese, you process the entire volume of milk,' said Tothova. Even the by-product from cheese-making, called whey, is in high demand from commercial food makers for flavoring and nutrition, or gym enthusiasts to bulk out the protein in their diets. European Union dairy processors have making more and more cheese. As a result, the bloc's butter production has steadily declined and is expected to hit an eight-year low this season, according to estimates from the US Department of Agriculture. Milk production itself is also becoming more challenging. In Europe, farmers' herd sizes are shrinking due to financial pressures, and they now face added risks to their cows from bluetongue virus, said Jose Saiz, a dairy market analyst at price reporting agency Expana. Lumpy skin disease, which can curb an infected cows' milk yields, is also making its way into Italy and France. Just as butter has fallen out of favor with dairy processors, consumers are developing a stronger taste for it, particularly in Asia. Global consumption of butter is expected to grow 2.7% in 2025, outpacing production, according to the USDA. In China demand has already grown by 6% in just one year. Usage in Taiwan between 2024 and 2025 rose 4%, while in India, the world's largest consumer, it is up 3%. Hong Kong's French bakery chain, Bakehouse, has been tapping into Asian consumers changing tastes. Its annual butter use is currently about 180 tons, an increase of 96 tons from the prior year after they opened two new stores, in addition to another 180 tons of cream, according to co-founder Gregoire Michaud. The firm only buys from well established suppliers — New Zealand has a top-tier reputation but China isn't good enough yet, he said. In New Zealand, which is a major dairy exporter and produces about 2.5% of global milk supply, butter production has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, fluctuating around 500,000 tons a year since 2020. As in Paris, supply scarcity and high butter prices have forced Hong Kong's Bakehouse to cycle through three different providers in just a short period - from Australia, to New Zealand and then Belgium. Now they're potentially looking for a fourth. Western consumers are also eating more butter, which for years was shunned for being unhealthy, as they look to cut ultra-processed foods out of their diets. Purchases of pure block butter in the UK have grown, said Susie Stannard, lead dairy analyst at the UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. 'Consumers who can afford it will still buy butter,'she said, but they aren't immune from price pressures. At the newly opened Morchella restaurant in London's Clerkenwell district, the brown butter and bread that was so popular at its sister eatery, Perilla in Newington Green, has been replaced with olive oil. Before the recent price hikes 'you'd put a lot of butter into the pan to base that piece of fish and meat,' said Ben Marks, who heads up the kitchens at Perilla. 'Now you've just got be much cleverer.' Relief for consumers isn't expected to come any time soon. Butter prices are also affected by the global conflicts, supply chain disruptions and tariff wars that have roiled every other commodity. Amid this 'very hot market,' Hong Kong's Bakehouse is now prioritizing butter from closer providers to avoid a loss of supply, said Michaud. Orsoni said Mamiche will absorb the higher cost of butter to keep French staples affordable for its customers, but Perilla's Marks said it's 'inevitable' that diners will face higher prices. The heat wave seen in Europe in recent weeks could also exacerbate the situation. High temperatures can reduce yields from diary cows, while also pushing up demand for other products that compete with butter for the fatty cream taken off the top of milk. Tennis fans reaching for cream to accompany their strawberries as they watch Wimbledon, or workers cooling down with an ice cream in city plazas, 'can only hold butter prices up,' said Stannard. SNAP Cuts in Big Tax Bill Will Hit a Lot of Trump Voters Too For Brazil's Criminals, Coffee Beans Are the Target America's Top Consumer-Sentiment Economist Is Worried Sperm Freezing Is a New Hot Market for Startups Pistachios Are Everywhere Right Now, Not Just in Dubai Chocolate ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
