Today's News

19 December 2012

“There’s enough evidence to suggest very strongly that neonicotinoids are contributing to the decline in bee numbers. We need to act now.”
Ed Scott, Riverford Assistant Harvest Manger, BBC Radio Devon, 18 December 2012

EU Parliament agrees CAP reform 'compromises'
The European Parliament has taken a huge stride towards reaching its position on reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Farmers Guardian (19 Dec)

MEP backs ongoing GM potatoes trials
Stuart Agnew MEP, a mixed farmer from Norfolk who is UKIP’s spokesman on agriculture, has given his support to ongoing trials of potatoes genetically modified to confer resistance to blight. (Soil Association mentioned)
Horticulture Week (18 Dec)
Find out about the Soil Association’s stance on GM crops

Keep Britain Buzzing on BBC Radio Devon
Vic Morgan interviews Riverford’s Assistant Harvest Manager Ed Scott. They discuss the threat posed to bees by neonicotinoids. (Soil Association mentioned)
BBC Radio Devon, Interactive Lunch, listen now (coverage starts at 1:49) (18 Dec)
Find out what you can do to Keep Britain Buzzing.

Beans mean high profits for guar farmers of Rajasthan
There's no fracking in Rajasthan, but hydraulic fracturing (to give it is proper name) has drastically changed the landscape of one of the poorest places on earth.
The Guardian (18 Dec)

School Dinners pass taste test
Food for Life Partnership school dinners have been given a lip smacking endorsement from youngsters, writes Michael Purton.
Gloucestershire Echo (18 Dec)
Find out more about Food for Life

Bulgarians Develop a Taste for Organic Food
Organic food appears to be gaining in popularity among Bulgarians - traders have described the steady rise in clients going for organic products as one of the trends in food industry this year.
Novinite.com (19 Dec)

CLA warns against bird theft this Christmas
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has warned farmers and landowners to be on their guard against poultry thieves this Christmas.
Farmers Weekly (18 Dec)

Sprout harvest just in time for Christmas
Brussels sprout farmers are working around the clock to harvest millions of kilos of the vegetable to ensure it arrives on the dinner table this Christmas.
Farmers Weekly (18 Dec)
There’s more to Christmas than sprouts! Have a look at the Soil Association’s guide to Christmas

'Environment Agency merger means jobs will go'
Shadow DEFRA secretary Mary Creagh has warned that merging Natural England and the Environment Agency will lead to further cuts in staff and budgets.
Farmers Weekly (19 Dec) 

Farming Today
The Government's chief vet warns that Schmallenberg disease could be more widespread than expected. The European Council for Young Farmers tells Farming Today that older farmers are clinging on to family farms for too long, and that money should be set aside to help them retire earlier.
BBC Radio 4, listen again, (19 Dec)

And finally… New species found: walking catfish, Beelzebub bat and two-legged lizard
From a devilish-looking bat to a frog that sings like a bird, scientists have identified 126 new species in the Greater Mekong area, the WWF said in a new report detailing discoveries in 2011.
The Telegraph (19 Dec)