Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

[News] G-7 Agriculture Ministers adopt “Niigata Declaration” focusing on global food security (April 25, 2016)

The Group of Seven (G-7) Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, opened at Niigata-shi, Niigata prefecture on April 23, adopted the “Niigata Declaration” towards ensuring food security in the world on April 24. In the Declaration, G-7’s farm ministers and the representative of the European Union agreed to aim at the shared goals of policy implementation including measures to enhance female and young farmers’ involvements in the agricultural sector. Shinzo Abe’s Administration plans to reflect the outcome of the G-7 agriculture ministers’ meeting, including the shared goals to be pursued by the seven nations, in discussions at the G-7 Summit to be held in Ise-Shima, Mie prefecture on May 26-27. Farm ministers of … Continue reading

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[News] Feeding systems at many livestock barns damaged in quake-hit Kikuchi-shi, Kumamoto prefecture (April 22, 2016)

It has turned out that a number of bulk feed tanks owned by farmers feeding beef cattle or pigs were bitterly damaged or destroyed by a powerful earthquake and its numerous aftershocks since April 14 in Kumamoto prefecture. At some livestock barns, rooves of the feed storage tanks were separated off by the earthquake and stored feed was spoiled by rainwater. At other barns, automatic feeding systems connecting feed tanks with livestock animals in the barns were broken down. Quake-hit damages have been spreading at livestock facilities over many areas in the Kumamoto prefecture. Farmers, however, now find it difficult to promptly find out necessary repairmen. They are concerned rehabilitation … Continue reading

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【News】 Dairy cows rescued from earthquake-collapsed barns suffering from mastitis in Kumamoto prefecture (April 21, 2016)

Dairy farming has been heavily damaged in Kumamoto prefecture continuously rocked by a powerful earthquake and aftershocks since April 14. In Nishihara-mura some farmers had a hard time rescuing their dairy cows from under the quake-collapsed barns. Dairy farmers could not milk their cows with milking machines in several days after the earthquake because of a power failure in their village. Their cows have got infected with mastitis one after the other. And farmers are now forced to dispose fresh milk even though they manage to resume milking their cows. “I could not milk my cows three days. Around eighty percent of cows have been infected with mastitis. Under such … Continue reading

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【Opinion】 France’s mountain farming – a model for Japanese farmers (April 8, 2016)

Toshinobu Kitabayashi, head of Worldwide Agricultural Policy Information Center Between the beginning of this year and February, a series of fierce protests spread among livestock farmers of western France against a squeeze in margins by large supermarkets which made it difficult for them to even make up for production costs. The French government and the European Union have been busy trying to settle the issue, with President Francois Hollande promising to review the deregulatory measures implemented under the act on modernization of agriculture and fisheries enacted in 2010 by the administration of former President Nicholas Sarkozy, and the European Union presenting emergency support measures. However, I would like to discuss … Continue reading

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【News】 TPP ratification to be deferred until after the current Diet session (April 20, 2016)

Shinzo Abe’s Administration and the ruling bloc found on April 19 that the ratification on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pack and relevant bills will hardly be approved at the Lower House by the end of April, although they had expected the Lower House would pass the TPP accord and related bills as scheduled. The Diet affairs chiefs of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the opposite Democratic Party (DP) had a meeting to confirm the TPP Special Committee of the Lower House will not be able to get through the schedule of TPP debate sessions planned over the end of April. It is now highly probable that Lower … Continue reading

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