ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½

The United States says it will begin lifting a suspension on Mexican cattle imports on Aug. 24, more than a year after it imposed the measure due to the spread of the New World screwworm in Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the reopening of cattle imports from Mexico will begin at the Douglas, Arizona, border crossing, which borders Agua Prieta in Mexico’s Sonora state. The statement said the necessary steps will be taken for the subsequent reopening of the Santa Teresa and Columbus border crossings in New Mexico, without specifying dates. Despite the ban, the screwworm was detected last month in Texas and southeastern New Mexico.

France's minister for the environmental transition is stepping down over a controversial pesticide bill. Monique Barbut plans to hand her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday. The bill, passed by lawmakers Tuesday, allows temporary use of restricted pesticides harmful to bees. Barbut expressed frustration on social media, saying she can no longer pursue her environmental goals. The pesticides, acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, are banned in France but permitted under EU rules. They are authorized for use on certain crops. Barbut's resignation follows a court decision blocking a similar measure last year.

Conflicts and disruptions to global energy markets could push millions more people into hunger by driving up fuel, fertilizer and food costs. That is according to the head of the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development warns. A new United Nations report released Tuesday shows progress against hunger remains too slow to meet global targets. The U.N. food security report has found global hunger eased modestly in recent years. But it projected more than 500 million people could still face chronic hunger by 2030. Africa is expected to bear the largest share of that burden.

Iridescent green beetles native to Japan have invaded Italy, damaging orchards and vineyards. Known as Popillia japonica, they were first detected in Europe in 2014 near Milan. The beetles have spread through Lombardy, Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, harming plants and production. While familiar in the U.S., they are new to Europe and classified as a priority pest by the EU. The beetles are entrenched in Italy, Switzerland and Germany, with efforts focused on containment. Experts are using parasites and traps to combat them. The beetles threaten agriculture, especially in Italy’s Po River Valley.

Health workers in northern Nigeria say more children are relapsing into malnutrition and cite knock-on effects from the war in the Middle East. The region is already under pressure from an insurgency crisis. The conflict in the Middle East has worsened food security for millions, especially children. UNICEF warns that if the war continues, millions more children could fall into poverty. The war has also affected fertilizer supplies and prices, threatening the planting season and worsening the fate of mostly farming communities in northern Nigeria.