El Niño Arrives, but What Will He Do?

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Japan Meteorological Agency both announced the emergence of El Niño conditions last week, following months of being on alert.

Climate models from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology currently suggest conditions continuing through to February 2016, with the event described as likely to be substantial, though forecasts are always subject to change. The potential impact of El Niño varies dependent on the actual duration and intensity.

If current models do prove correct, development of substantial El Niño conditions through the southern hemisphere’s spring has the potential to impact Australian cereal crops with dry weather at important stages - continue reading.

Neonicotinoid Ban Continues to Devastate Oilseed Rape Crops

Farmers across the UK are continuing to suffer heavy losses through oilseed rape crop damage following restrictions to the availability of neonicotinoids, the NFU has said.

This has resulted in an emergency use application by the NFU to allow farmers to use seed treatments in rapeseed this autumn being submitted to Government.

NFU Vice President Guy Smith said: “Since last autumn we have heard from hundreds of our members growing oilseed rape that establishing the crop has become far more difficult and expensive, if not impossible, without neonicotinoid seed dressing“ - read more.

~ Gemma