Today's News
17 December 2012
“Any chef that gets people cooking from scratch, from raw ingredients, is to be applauded."
Joanna Blythman, The Guardian, 17 December 2012
Zac Goldsmith attacks 'deceitful’ David Cameron
Once trumpeted as David Cameron’s environmental adviser, Zac Goldsmith is biting the hand that fed him. The Tory MP accuses the Prime Minister of “deception” and capitulating to big business over genetically modified crops.
The Telegraph (16 Dec)
The seeds of another GM row are sown
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson's outburst at opponents of genetically modified crops and foods seems set to revive a decade-old war.
The Telegraph (14 Dec)
Find out about the Soil Association’s response to Owen Paterson’s GM comments.
Food's latest hot trend: leftovers
It's half past three and lunch is drawing to a close. The long dining room of 32 Great Queen Street in London's Covent Garden is three-quarters empty, with just a few diners left drinking coffee or finishing off bottles of wine. One large, noisy party at the end, nearest the open-plan kitchen remains, as the restaurant staff sit down at last to feed themselves.
The Guardian (15 Dec)
Laura Stewart: We must all stand up against the powerful GM lobby
As food continues to find itself near the top of the economic, political and social agenda, forthright comments from UK food minister Owen Patterson and Murdo Fraser MSP this week clash with Scottish Government policy, which opposes the cultivation of genetically modified crops.
The Scotsman (17 Dec)
Adopt a turkey, name it, watch it grow – then eat it
If other turkeys knew about this, they might even vote for it. Whitmuir Farm, a Soil Association licensee in West Linton, has launched an adopt-a-turkey scheme so that Scots can pay for their Christmas dinners’ bed and board, visit them at their luxury accommodation and even give them names.
The Scotsman (16 Dec)
Find out where you can buy a organic Christmas turkey
Bill Clinton and Jack Bobo tells EU: Stop ‘bashing’ GM
In the week environment secretary Owen Paterson made waves with pro-GM comments, a senior US official has further fuelled the debate by urging Europe to come clean with consumers over GM.
The Grocer (14 Dec)
Britain to oppose new EU controls on cod catches
Britain will oppose proposals to curtail cod catches in the North Sea next year. Environment minister Richard Benyon last week pledged to vote against moves to make further restrictions in the time that fishermen spend at sea, and promised to oppose moves to reduce North Sea cod quotas. Benyon is to lead the UK delegation at the annual EU fisheries talks which begin on Tuesday.
The Guardian (16 Dec)
How to plant trees
This winter's bare-root order has arrived from the nursery. The box is as tall as I am and pulling it apart is a thrill. The contents are unprepossessing enough, bundled carefully together with a twist of bailer twine and dampened down inside their bin liner, but in my mind's eye this winter's trees are already big enough to stand under.
The Guardian (16 Dec)
Health-conscious consumers keep going organic
Jeanette Baker likes her lettuce crisp, fresh and free of as much pesticides as possible. When the South Charleston resident buys certain produce at the Ashton Place Kroger on Corridor G, she opts for the organics because they are healthier, she said.
The Charleston Gazette (15 Dec)
Yes Organic Market needs more than a name change
Just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come. That’s the lesson Gary Cha learned the hard way after he opened one of his Yes Organic Market stores in Ward 8 two years ago in the name of expanding food-buying options in Southeast Washington, writes Clinton Yates.
The Washington Post (14 Dec)
Lochhead visits organic dairy farm
On Monday, December 10 the Cabinet Secretary visited Wester Manbeen Farm, Elgin. Farm owners Alick and David Hendry are members of the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative.
Scottish Farmer (12 Dec)
Market leaders: The best Christmas farmers markets in Scotland
Whatever you want to cook for your family at Christmas, you can pick up the best ingredients direct from the farmers, writes Rebecca Monks.
The Scotsman (16 Dec)
Find out about what the Soil Association's work in Scotland.
Welsh government to assess sky lantern risk to livestock
The Welsh government has put out a tender for an investigation into Chinese lanterns and their effect on livestock.
Farmers Weekly (14 Dec)
RSPCA calls for review of livestock exports
The RSPCA has welcomed calls for a review of the livestock export trade following a debate in the House of Commons.
Farmers Weekly (15 Dec)
OFC debate: Should the UK embrace mega-dairies?
Few issues in farming have provoked as much debate as economies of scale. Whether it’s the arguments over the failed bid to create an 8,000-cow herd at Nocton, the glazed superstructure of Thanet Earth, or the sheer size of the global corporations that operate in the industry, farmers are split over whether these are signs of progress to embrace, or pose a threat to UK farming itself.
Farmers Weekly (15 Dec)
More help needed to encourage next generation of farmers
Measures to encourage older farmers to retire and allow the next generation to begin farming are needed if the industry is to close the ‘massive’ age gap.
Farmers Guardian (17 Dec)
Find out about the Soil Association’s Organic Apprenticeship Scheme.
Farming today
As winter lambing begins, cases of Schmallenberg reach nearly 1000. The EU fish talks start today. Farming Today asks where the battle lines will be drawn. And as new marine conservation zones are announced by government, the RSPB warns that the government is not doing enough to protect marine life.
BBC Radio 4, listen again, (17 Dec)
And finally… The week in wildlife - in pictures
Smuggled tiger cubs, baby hippos and frigatebirds on Ascension Island are among this week's pick of images from the natural world.
The Guardian (14 Dec)