British cannabis smugglers appear before judge
A crime ring with links throughout Europe has been caught red-handed after shipping £2 million of cannabis into Seaforth docks. The drugs were hidden among pallets of broccoli, kale and lettuce.

Cultivation, trade and breeding up for consolidation battle
It currently seems a little quieter in the field of mergers, acquisitions, and financial transactions in greenhouse horticulture, but appearances can be deceptive. Behind the scenes, people are

Humecfol develops a moisture sensor against the black spot affecting pear crops
The Humecfol innovation project has managed to develop a valid and economical leaf moisture sensor that will provide farmers with better phytosanitary control of the black spot affecting pear

Pears, a sustainable supply chain for the environment, economy and society
The first press conference was held yesterday morning regarding the EU project 'Pears with love: a case study of sustainable agriculture', the three-year programme of Apo Conerpo, co-financed by

The game 'Catch the Pear' is online
The interactive augmented reality game "Catch the pear!" is now available online. It is one of the tools part of the campaign of the EU project "Pears with love: a case study of sustainable

"World's first fully automated sorting center of its size"
The Belgian cooperative BelOrta recently took a new sorting center into use. Its completion was delayed by several months, but the fully automatic optical sorting lines are now processing the

Pears with love, the new website is online
The website of the EU project 'Pears with love: a case study of sustainable agriculture', promoted by Apo Conerpo Sca and co-financed by the European Community, is online at www.pearswithlove.eu.

Bright future for UK farming, says Defra minister
The future of British agriculture and domestic food security looks bright, the Defra minister for food, farming and fisheries told growers last week (11 May). Delivering the Shuttleworth Lecture

Innovation breeds success for Semillas Fitó
One of the biggest breakthroughs in tomato breeding this decade has been the ability to develop varieties that are resistant to ToBRFV,a highly destructive virus that was first discovered in

BelOrta starts using new fully automated top fruit sorting warehouse
BelOrta's new sorting warehouse has been up and running for a few weeks. Its realization was delayed by several months, but the first apples and pears are now passing through the fully automatic

Agrofresh and Strella partner on apples and pears
Agrofresh Solutions has announced a partnership with sensor technology developer Strella, with a global exclusive distribution agreement to launch immediately for the Northern Hemisphere’s apple

"Quicker, better grading process, using fewer people"
Last year, Fruitbedrijf en Pakstation Tijssen began using a brand-new production warehouse. The Dutch fruit company grows and sorts apples and pears. "We moved to the new production site, which

Chinese potatoes have appeared on the trading platforms in Primorsky Krai
The delivery of Chinese potatoes to Primorsky Krai has been resumed. From March 20 to March 26, the first batch of Chinese potatoes weighing 87.4 tons arrived, the Primorsky Interregional

Pear sizing mobile app delivers reliable size data earlier than ever before
Hectre, double award winners in the AgTech Breakthrough Awards, have announced that their latest innovation, the Spectre for Pears early fruit sizing app, has now been released to the market.

‘Sprouts’ set to harvest spears
A ‘herd’ of robots is to be released into the English countryside to commercially pick British asparagus for the first time this coming season. Muddy Machines – the robotics company behind

Where are the first batches of Uzbek onions sent after the lifting of export ban?
On March 18, 2023, the abolition of a temporary ban on the exports of onion from Uzbekistan was reported. Just a few hours after the corresponding announcement of the Ministry of Agriculture

Where are the first batches of Uzbek onions sent after the lifting of export ban?
On March 18, 2023, the abolition of a temporary ban on the exports of onion from Uzbekistan was reported. Just a few hours after the corresponding announcement of the Ministry of Agriculture

Consumers ‘in the dark’ about food’s enviromental impact
A new report claims it is extremely hard for consumers to gauge the sustainability of their own eating habits and therefore eat greener, especially when there is no kind of labelling system to

Verbraucherzentale Bundesverband: Sustainability advertising does more harm than good
Green advertising claims on food have considerable greenwashing potential. This is the conclusion of a study by the research agency "Zühlsdorf + Partner" and the University of Göttingen

Expansion of South African plum portfolio
Oppy, a grower, marketer and distributor of fresh produce, plans to continue energizing the plum category in its second season of shipping South African plums to North America. The Black Pearl

Innovation project leads to improved apple and pear storage
The Belgian company Optiflux, supported by The Province of Flemish Brabant and research partners KU Leuven and VCBT, has developed smart technology for the improved cold storage of top fruit. "The

"Affected by the cold winter, early Hami melon production in Hainan production areas decreased by 30%"
The sales of Hami melon used to be mainly concentrated in summer, but now it has changed from a seasonal product to a major item that is popular among consumers after apples, pears and

BVL/QS: Emergency approvals for Surround plant protection products against pear leaf sucker
Fruit growers are allowed to use the plant protection product Surround (active ingredient: aluminium silicate) to control the pear leaf sucker on pears with immediate effect. This is provided for