SAO PAULO, Jan.

On Monday, agricultural ministers from the European Union announced that they would not give official approval to allow the importation and use of genetically-enhanced strains of corn from the US.

A majority of European Union agricultural ministers, including France and Germany, urged renewed help for dairy farmers struggling with price declines. The price European dairy farmers receive for milk peaked in mid-2008 and has since fallen 40 percent to price levels unseen since 1992, the EUobserver reported Tuesday. Sixteen out of the European Union's 27 agricultural ministers on Monday voiced concern over the so-called milk crisis, while hundreds of farmers protested outside the meeting in Brussels. In order to prevent a disappearance of farms on a grand scale, the EU must take strong and concrete new measures, the agriculture ministers said in a joint statement. In July, the European Commission recommended a series of support measures, including milk promotions and allowing increased farmer subsidies.

By Dan Buglass Rural THE Common Agricultural Policy, which comes at a cost in the region of 40 billion (GBP 36bn) to European taxpayers, was last subject to a major review in 2004, with the new regime taking effect on 1 January 2005.

By John Lichfield Brussels took steps yesterday to adjust its much-criticised 32bn- a-year farming policy to a threatening new world of food shortages and soaring food prices.