22/11//13: Devenish Nutrition expands business; revival of green health-food crop; protests in paris over EU agriculture reforms

Leading agri-technology company Devenish Nutrition, headquartered in Belfast, Ireland has increased its presence in the GB market by opening a food grade premix manufacturing facility in Cheshire, UK.
 

“Devenish is internationally renowned for the quality of its products and ability to provide bespoke solutions for particular customers’ product and feed management needs. We are delighted to have secured this site as it will take the manufacture of premix to a new standard and play a leading role in our innovation plans to enable us meet our customer needs into the future," said Eamonn Whelan, operations director.  
Full news available here...

According to producers, there's a growing demand for a health-food cereal made from various types of grain that are harvested while still green.
 With eastern Mediterranean origins dating back over 4,000 years, Freekeh, a cereal food made from green wheat, is making a comeback.

 

Commenting on the harvesting process, Toni Lutfi, managing director, Greenwheat Freekeh, South Australia said "because [the wheat] is harvested when it's still green, it has a higher nutritional content."

 

"The biggest demand is coming from the United States, followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, we have demand from the Ukraine and now from Brazil and the Australian market has been growing, from a very low base, at approximately 270 per cent per annum for the past three years," Lutfi added.
Read the full story here...

Traffic in Paris, France is bearing the brunt of protests over the redistribution of funds under reforms to the European Agricultural Policy (CAP). 

Following two accidents in which a fireman was killed and six police officers injured, the French government has called on farmers to lift road blockades immediately.

As part of the changes to the CAP, which was approved by the European Parliament on Wednesday, more EU funds will go towards livestock at the expense of cereal farms, which are common in the countryside around Paris. 

“It’s a major political choice: fewer subsidies for cereal farmers indicates increased support for livestock farmers who have been suffering serious difficulties for a long time,” Stéphane Le Foll, French agriculture minister told daily newspaper Le Figaro. “I accept the balancing which has been done in favour of these producers.”  
Full report available here...

Freekeh with roasted vegetables (Photo credit: Wikipedia)