British residential property prices rose by 2.9% year-on-year in February, the slowest pace since July last year, according to consultancy Halifax. Analysts surveyed by Trading Economics had on average expected a 3.1% rise.
The revised data also showed a rise of 2.9% in January, rather than the 3% previously announced.
In monthly terms, prices fell 0.1% after rising 0.6% in January.
As a result, the average cost of a property in the country was 298,602 thousand pounds ($385,400).
“February’s data reflects the balance of the British housing market,” said Amanda Bryden, head of Halifax’s mortgage division. – The frenzied demand for mortgages ahead of April’s rise in government fees is waning. Despite the housing affordability challenge, market activity remains strong and prices are expected to rise moderately this year on the back of tight supply and steady demand.”
Verdi, the united union of service workers, which includes employees at Germany’s largest airports, has called on its members for a one-day warning strike on March 10. The union is forced to resort to protest action because of employers’ unwillingness to meet workers’ demands in collective bargaining, it said in a statement posted on its website.
The union is seeking an 8 percent wage increase, or at least 350 euros a month, as well as an increase in bonuses for heavy work and additional days off.
The protests will affect 11 airports, including Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin.
Germany’s airport association ADV warned that the strike could disrupt the plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers.
“Holding strikes at 11 airports simultaneously cuts off an entire country from air traffic,” said ADV managing director Ralf Beisel. – “We urge Verdi to take the interests of passengers into account and seek a negotiated settlement.
“The economic damage caused by such strikes is enormous and affects not only the airline industry, but the entire economy in an already extremely strained economic situation,” he added.
Apart from airlines and airports, other industries will also be affected due to flight cancellations and delays. Hotels, caterers and retailers in the affected regions could suffer significant revenue losses. When flights are canceled or delayed, the entire supply chain also suffers, according to a statement published on the ADV website.
In 2024, the forestry industry received a record net income of UAH 23.7 billion from sales of products, continuing to implement a number of digitalization projects and invest in forestry, including the construction of forest roads and seed plants, amid the temporary occupation of part of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, mining and hostilities.
During a public report, among the industry’s achievements, the head of the State Agency of Forest Resources, Viktor Smal, noted the positive effect of introducing transparent rules and equal opportunities for all timber market participants by transferring timber sales to licensed exchanges, which made it possible to conclude long-term contracts and bring contract fulfillment to 95%, the agency’s Facebook page said on Friday.
According to the head of the State Forestry Agency, in 2024, approximately 12.7 million cubic meters of timber worth UAH 23 billion were supplied to the domestic market, which is 0.8 million cubic meters and UAH 2.5 billion more than in 2023. The average cost of 1 cubic meter of timber sold last year remained almost at the level of the previous year – it increased by only 5%, to UAH 1,810.
Smal emphasized that the industry continues to digitize control over the movement of wood. He cited data from the BRDO’s Better Regulation Delivery Office, according to which the e-felling ticket and e-certificate of origin have become the largest digitized permits in Ukraine. The introduced digital tools helped businesses save UAH 150 million. At the same time, the mechanism of photo fixation of timber and the improvement of the electronic timber accounting system (ETS) have provided a new level of transparency in this area, according to the State Forestry Agency.
“Our goal is to radically change the very idea of controlling the movement of wood. The development of the second-generation version of the EOD will allow us to extend this system to woodworkers and significantly improve control over the movement of wood,” emphasized Smal.
In addition, in Ukraine in 2024, new forests were planted on 35.2 thousand hectares of restored forests on a total area of 6.1 thousand hectares. At the same time, 238.3 million pieces of planting material were planted in the country. Last year, 175.4 million standard seedlings were grown to ensure silvicultural operations in 2025, including 11.2 million seedlings with a closed root system.
At the same time, Ukraine continues to work on preserving self-seeded forests: In 2024, 54 thousand hectares of land were granted the status of self-forested. The transfer of 38 thousand hectares of self-seeded forests to the forest fund of Ukraine has been agreed, and property rights have been registered for an area of 10.9 thousand hectares.
Smal noted that the State Forestry Agency has developed a number of regulations that change approaches to work in the industry. In particular, these include the regulation of military felling and close-to-nature forestry, the abandonment of clear felling in the Carpathian region, the typology of felling types, the regulation of measures related to forestry, etc.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved a program to import fresh apples from Ukraine, the press service of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection reported.
“In the face of full-scale Russian aggression, we pay special attention to supporting Ukraine’s economy and Ukrainian exporters. A strong economy and resilient businesses play a critical role in the overall defense capability of our country. That is why we, together with the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, continue to create new opportunities for Ukrainian producers, liberalize trade, and open doors to new foreign markets,” said Andriy Sybiga, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
“The demand for Ukrainian products is growing every year in the international trade arena. Today, Canada is opening its market for our apples. The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, processes every request from businesses to open new markets. Not only some countries are considered, but the entire world map: America, the European Union, Africa, and East Asia,” emphasized Serhiy Tkachuk, Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
Canada has already updated its import requirements for Ukraine in its Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) and approved the Export Program for Ukrainian apples (Malus domestica).
According to the agreement, apples can be supplied to Canada by producers who grow them, have packaging and export campaigns, and are included in the List of Exporters, Producers and Packers of Ukrainian Apples to Canada.
Their orchards are monitored by the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection to predict the spread of pests and provide recommendations for pest control. Pest control measures should ensure that registered operators maintain a low prevalence of pests or the absence of pests regulated in Canada. Businesses must use sorting equipment to remove ticks, insects, other pests and dirt, etc.
Each shipment requires a phytosanitary certificate from the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
IMC Agro Holding has added 150 grain carriers to its own railcar fleet, which now totals 300 cars, its press service reports.
According to the report, in 2024-2025, IMC invested about $22 million in grain cars.
“This railcar fleet will allow us to largely abandon leased railcars for the transportation of grain to ports,” IMC CEO Oleksandr Verzhykhovsky was quoted as saying in the report.
He added that, according to the agricultural holding, after the commissioning of this fleet, IMC will be able to transport up to 80% of the annual volume of grain grown with its own wagons, providing confidence in the timely execution of the railway component of export logistics and significantly saving on rail transportation.
IMC Agro Holding is an integrated group of companies operating in Sumy, Poltava and Chernihiv regions (north and center of Ukraine) in the crop production, elevators and warehouses segments. The Group’s land bank is about 120 thousand hectares and storage capacity is 554 thousand tons, with a harvest of 1.002 million tons in 2023.
In 2023, IMC posted a net loss of $21.03 million compared to $1.12 million a year earlier, and its EBITDA decreased 11.3 times to $3.22 million. Revenue increased by 22.3% to $139.45 million, while the share of exports decreased to 68% from 73% a year earlier.
Astarta, Ukraine’s largest sugar producer, has successfully passed certification under the Canada Organic Regime standard and received a Canadian organic certificate for its products – organic chickpeas and high oleic organic sunflower, the company’s press service reported on Facebook.
“This expands our export opportunities and strengthens Ukraine’s position as a supplier of quality organic products on the world stage,” Vyacheslav Chuk, the agricultural holding’s director of commercial and strategic marketing, said in a statement.
As noted, the certification confirms that the production process complies with international organic standards, which include the use of renewable resources, safe technologies for people and the environment, animal welfare, prohibition of GMOs and prevention of environmental pollution.
“Demand for organic products is growing globally, and Canada is one of the largest importers of organic products. The certificate gives us access to new markets that recognize this standard,” explained Chuk.
“Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding company operating in eight regions of Ukraine. It comprises six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220 thousand hectares and dairy farms with 22 thousand cattle, an oil extraction plant in Globyno (Poltava region), seven elevators and a biogas complex.
In 2023, the agricultural holding reduced its net profit by 5.0% to EUR 61.9 million, and its EBITDA decreased by 6.1% to EUR 145.77 million, while revenue increased by 21.3% to EUR 618.93 million.
