Today's News

14 December 2012

“140 turkeys, all of them from slow-reared, heritage breeds, are wandering around by the banks of the River Chater. One or two have settled happily in a 300-year-old willow tree. Having never encountered a flock of turkeys before, I’m taken aback by the noise they make. It’s loud, it’s undignified, it’s rather funny.”
Vincent Graff at Rutland Organic Farm, The Daily Mail, 14 December 2012

The truth about free-range turkeys will put you off your Christmas dinner
Now is the time of year when you want to do things properly. And — even if it does cost a few pounds more — many of us will want the best Christmas turkey we can afford. (Soil Association mentioned)
The Daily Mail (14 Dec)
Falling fowl at Christmas? The changing fate of British turkey
The Guardian (14 Dec)
Keep your Christmas organic: Find an organic turkey farmer near you with the Soil Association Christmas Guide

Common insecticide linked to decline in bees
Evidence has been growing that the widespread use of neonicotinoid pesticides could be causing serious decline in the bees and other pollinators, which are vital in producing a third of all food.
The Telegraph (13 Dec)
Find out what you can do to Keep Britain Buzzing

Factory farming threatens antiobiotics
We don’t have to imagine a world without antibiotics, only look at history to know what life was like before infections like typhoid, tuberculosis, pneumonia, tetanus, diphtheria, syphilis, gonorrhoea or meningitis could be treated. (Soil Association mentioned)
A World to Win (Dec 13)
Find out about the Soil Association Stance on Antibiotics

UK seas to gain 31 marine conservation zones
The UK's sealife will be protected by 31 new conservation zones aimed at preventing trawling and dredging destroying life on the ocean floor, under plans announced by the government on Thursday. But ministers rejected advice to create 127 zones, including all the areas where no activity would have been allowed, leading campaigners to describe the plan as "pitiful" and a "bitter disappointment".
The Guardian (13 Dec)

Ash dieback: scientists to utilise crowdsourcing in fight against fungus
British scientists trying to beat ash dieback disease are seeking the "wisdom of the crowd" in order to analyse the genes of the fungus that causes it.
The Guardian (14 Dec)

Russia intends to be stricter with GMO industry
Russia will soon adopt a tough legislation to limit the cultivation, importation and use of GMO in feed production for livestock, this was announced by the Minister of Agriculture of Russia, Nikolai Fyodorov, at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
All About Feed (13 Dec)

Waitrose halts plans to expand Shell partnership
Greenpeace has claimed victory after intense campaigning prompted Waitrose to put on hold its plans to expand its partnership with Shell – the oil company which is planning to drill for oil in the Arctic.
The Guardian (13 Dec)

Life changing chickens
Keeping chickens has transformed life for pupils at a school in an urban area of Buckinghamshire. (Food for Life mentioned)
Your Chickens p.51 (01 Dec)

Fresh food wins hospital one of only five awards
Scarborough hospital has become one of only five hospitals in the country to be awarded a Bronze Catering Mark for both staff and patient meals. (Food for life mentioned)
Scarborough Evening News p.35 (13 Dec)
Find out more about Food for Life in hospitals

Is Organic Food Better For You? The Honest Truth
If you’re trying to get to the bottom of all the current arguments about whether organic food is better for you, the first thing you might consider is just arming yourself with some facts, writes Daniel Blake.
Eco Scraps (12 Dec)

Heritage Lottery money helps Cumbria's threatened hay meadows
The fame of Cumbria's fells may overshadow another interesting feature of the beautiful county: it has almost a third of England's upland hay meadows.
The Guardian (13 Dec)

MEPs to rethink 8 hour livestock journey limit
Members of the European Parliament have passed a resolution to reconsider limiting livestock journey times for transport of animals for slaughter to a maximum of eight hours.
Farmers Weekly (13 Dec)

Farming Today
Farming minister David Heath says live animal exports should come to an end. 4000 jobs are saved as private equity firm Endless buys Vion's UK pork business. More deer must be culled to save Ash Dieback-resistant saplings,
BBC Radio 4, listen again, (14 Dec)

And finally… Cock left crowing after noise victory
A cockerel that was under threat for crowing at 5am has been reprieved because the newcomer who had complained moved out after Dorset villagers raised a 160-signature petition in protest. Simon Grant-Jones, who owns Reg, said: “Hearing a cockerel crowing in a rural village is part and parcel of living in the country.”
The Times (13 Dec)