World in brief

UK

Farmers in the UK have been cautioned about the risk of lead poisoning when putting their livestock out to graze on pasture this spring. According to a report by

Farmers Weekly UK, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) warned that discarded materials such as car batteries could pose a serious threat to freshly turned-out livestock.

When ingested, lead could cause a number of health problems in livestock, including slow or stunted growth, blindness, infertility, birth defects, and even death, the FSS said.

THAILAND

In a bid to offset a disruption in global fertiliser supplies due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Thailand has announced that it will revive a potash mining project that has been mothballed for decades, according to news service Nikkei Asia.

It added that Thailand was a key producer of food and agricultural products in Southeast Asia, and by restarting the US$1,8 billion (about R33 billion) project, the county hoped to ease shortages of chemical fertilisers and reduce domestic prices.

HUNGARY

Hungary’s Minister of Agriculture, István Nagy, has slammed the EU for failing to support his country’s farmers, who were facing falling grain prices due to an influx of Ukrainian grain imports, according to a report by The Budapest Times newspaper.

It added that, after meeting with EU agriculture ministers in Brussels, Nagy said Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria had turned to the European Commission for emergency support, but that only Poland, Romania and Bulgaria would receive billions of euros in financial aid. –