Weekly update 19 March 2018

Full update available here

1. Government agencies: ICPR changes; Primary sector exports forecast to rise to over $42 billion in 2018; Surveillance programme finds Salt marsh mosquito.  
2. New Zealand News:  New Zealand and Colombia building closer ties; New Zealand partnership to drive innovation in perennial fruits; Māori-owned company to breed unique berries; ANZ Agri Focus: Success with avocados is there for the picking; Zespri shareholders vote for change; Apple harvest earliest in recent history; Picking labour shortage declared in Hawke’s Bay; Fruit Day presents organic Posy apples from New Zealand; South Island trade gateway closed by strike; Assistance for cyclone-hit Tasman and Taranaki regions; New Zealand Feijoa growers hit by devastating disease.
3. International news: GAIN reports; Bayer publishes crop protection safety studies; China conditionally approves Bayer-Monsanto deal; US: Bayer-Monsanto deal faces antitrust hurdles; Bayer reports progress in talks with Russia over Monsanto deal; Carrefour extend Blockchain use to dairy and meat product ranges; Maersk teams up with Israeli start-up accelerator TheDock; Research into potential of Feijoas to become Australia's next 'superfood'; China: Consumption trends - JD 2018 Report on New Year consumption of fresh food; Yidu Group Pioneers New Model for Chile to China Fresh Fruit Shipment; Rockmelon listeria: Rombola Family Farms named as source of outbreak.