Signing the EU-Mercosur Agreement by December Is Possible, Says European Council President

The EU and Mercosur countries expect to sign the agreement in a December ceremony. “It is a short timeframe, but we are going to try to make it happen,” Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, said during a visit to Brazil on Thursday.

Costa added that the European Commission is in the process of translating the agreement into the 24 EU official languages and plans to finish it by July.

While farming sectors in some EU countries such as France or Spain have expressed concern...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #8

Expana’s global team of specialist reporters has been tracking every twist and turn in the fluid tariff situation.

Click to read "Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #8."

This report allows the Expana community to see where key commodity markets stand as of this past week... Click the above PDF report, or keep scrolling to read in plain text...

Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #6

Expana’s global team of specialist reporters has been tracking every twist and turn in the fluid tariff situation.

Click to read "Tariff Talks 2025: Expana's Weekly Rundown #6."

This report allows the Expana community to see where key commodity markets stand as of this past week... Click the above PDF report, or keep scrolling to read in plain text...

Spain’s October Flash Floods Cause €40M in Agricultural Losses, Insurance Payouts Reach €712M  

The October 2024 flash floods in Spain struck one of the most active agricultural regions in the country just weeks before the citrus and persimmon harvest, Agroseguro, the Spanish group of insurance companies for combined agricultural insurance, said.  

Between October 29-31, the region received more rainfall than in the rest of 2024. Including this event, other storms, rainfall, and wind caused total damage valued at €261 million in 2024.  

The damage was extensive...

Workers at Spanish Pork Slaughterhouse Litera Meat on Strike

Employees at Litera Meat, one of Europe’s largest slaughterhouses, have continued to strike since December 10 after negotiations between the company and employees failed.

Litera Meat started operations in 2019, in Huesca, Spain, and has a maximum daily processing capacity of 32,000 hogs, and around 1,600 employees, the firm said.

It is also the largest processing facility owned by 

the Italian company Pini Group and can process more carcasses than all other Pini facilities across Italy and Hungary combined, according to company data.   

CNT worker’s union...

Spain Announces €444.5mln Fund for Farmers Affected by the Floods

The Spanish Agriculture, Fishing and Food Ministry (Mapa) plans to allocate €444.5mln in flood-recovery funding for affected farmers and producers in the next three months. Meanwhile, hefty rainfall is forecast to continue this week, troubling recovery efforts.

Of the allocated funds, €200mln will go to farmers as direct support.

"The affected farmer does not need to worry about submitting any application or doing anything for the direct aid. We will not ask for any paperwork, but will grant the aid ex officio...

Spanish Producers Face Severe Losses from Recent Flash Flooding 

The recent flash floods in Spain have left agricultural regions in crisis, with significant losses expected particularly for citrus farmers in Valencia just before harvest. 

The Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) has described the effects of the flash flooding as an "unprecedented human disaster" and has called for "patience" in assessing damage in the fields, as the storm system known as a Dana is still active in some areas, and access to others is still limited...