Today's News

03 January 2013

 “Claims that GM crops will solve world hunger, or will deliver drought resistant, nitrogen fixing rich crops, are not science but prophecy.”
Peter Melchett, policy director, Soil Association, The Ecologist (31 Dec 2012)

GM food: British public 'should be persuaded of the benefits'
The British public should be persuaded of the benefits of genetically modified food, the environment secretary will tell the UK's farming industry on Thursday, in a key signal of the government's intent to expand agricultural biotechnology and make the case for GM food in Europe.
The Guardian (3 Jan)
The Telegraph (3 Jan) 
Read the Soil Association position on GM 

The GM lobby and its 'seven sins against science'
The pro-GM lobby has sought to take the 'scientific high-ground' by positioning itself as the voice of reason and progress, while painting its opponents as unsophisticated 'anti-science' luddites. In a scathing response the Soil Association’s Peter Melchett turns the tables.
The Ecologist (31 Dec 2012)

Organic food loses its appeal – but ethics rule at the checkout
Walk around a supermarket and pricey organic fruit and vegetables are noticeably fewer in number and less heavily promoted than in the past. In an audit of ethical spending, the Co-op assessed the fate of virtuous goods and services during the downturn and found that organic had fared the worst. Featuring comment from Jim Twine, business development director of the Soil Association.
The Independent (29 Dec 2012)

Ready to eat: the first GM fish for the dinner table
US decision after 17-year battle over fast-growing salmon could pave way for same step in Britain. A GM salmon which grows twice as fast as ordinary fish could become the first genetically-modified animal in the world to be declared officially safe to eat, after America's powerful food-safety watchdog ruled it posed no major health or environmental risks.
The Independent (24 Dec 2012)

Obama's Science Commitment, FDA Face Ethics Scrutiny in Wake of GMO Salmon Fiasco
Questions are emerging about the breakdown of the federal government’s science integrity process in the wake of the Food & Drug Administration’s long-delayed release of its approval of the first genetically modified animal for human consumption.
Forbes (28 Dec 2012)

Antibiotic Assault
Superbugs are thriving on British dairy farms, due to the overuse of cattle antibiotics – and the practice of feeding waste milk to calves. Organic farming champions the Soil Association this week issued a "wake up call" to the government over the issue, and called for a full scale investigation leading to major husbandry changes.
Scottish Farmer (27 Dec 2012)

GM food labelling comes into force amid fears over 'lack of planning'
On New Year's day, India joined a select band of countries where food containing genetically modified (GM) content must be labelled as such. But it has done so without any preparation.
The labelling of foods with GM ingredients has been a long-held demand of consumer groups, but the way it has been done in India has left them disappointed.
Daily Mail (1 Jan)

Farmers urge minister to provide extreme weather insurance
Record rainfall in 2012 has cost British farmers £1.3bn, prompting calls for government to provide insurance against extreme weather if it wants to preserve national food security.
The Guardian (31 Dec 2012)

Europe in a ‘race for second place’ on GM food
The chief scientific adviser to the European Commission has suggested member states are not capitalising on their own expertise in genetically modified food. Europe appears to be in a “race for second place” by conducting highly regarded research but waiting for other countries to carry out the practical work afterwards, said Anne Glover, a former scientific adviser to the Scottish Government.
The Scotsman (1 Jan)

Preferring organic food also means eating healthier
Buying locally farmed, organic, sustainably produced food is so hot right now. The alternatively produced food trend has really taken off over the past decade, and now researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health have found that young people who prefer such foods are also more likely to make healthier food choices.
Health Talk (27 Dec 2012)

Graze cattle such as bison to restore British countryside
The British countryside could be restored by cattle herds grazing such as the bison of the American plains, according to organic farmers.
The Telegraph (3 Jan)

In Latin America, a growing backlash against genetically modified food
Are genetically modified crops “Franken-foods” or the answer to global hunger and climate change? That is the dilemma dividing Latin America, where vast quantities of GM crops are grown. Outside the US, no region has a greater expanse of agricultural land sown with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) than South America.
Global Post (2 Jan)

Initiative to require labeling GMO food to be submitted
A legislative initiative similar to a ballot measure defeated in California in November calls for foods that have genetically modified content to be labeled.
Seattle Times (2 Jan)

Organic food helped me beat cancer, says Marchioness who lived on 'alkaline diet' during chemotherapy
The Marchioness of Worcester has said an organic diet and complementary medicines helped her beat cancer. Speaking for the first time since she was diagnosed with breast and lymph cancer in 2009, she said an ‘alkaline diet’ free from alcohol, meat and processed food helped her through chemotherapy and radiotherapy by maintaining her strength.
Daily Mail (31 Dec 2012)

Who will pay for failed GM crops?
There have been some interesting developments in the tweaked food department. Maharashtra has admitted that cotton yield is likely to reduce by nearly 40%. Bt Cotton has allegedly ‘failed’ in more than 4 million hectares of land.
DNA India (23 Dec 2012) 
Find out about the Soil Association Cottoned On campaign 

2012: the year we did our best to abandon the natural world
It was the year of living dangerously. In 2012 governments turned their backs on the living planet, demonstrating that no chronic problem, however grave, will take priority over an immediate concern, however trivial. I believe there has been no worse year for the natural world in the past half-century.
The Guardian (31 Dec 2012)

National Farmers' Union: 2012 weather 'cost farming £600m'
The Met Office will reveal later just how wet it was last year when its releases its official rainfall stats.The National Farmers' Union calculated last year's weather cost the industry £600m in lost output.
BBC News, Wales (3 Jan)

Temporary ban on GM maize has been lifted in Russia
The ban was put in place in September last year after a study linked Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup and the NK603 strain of maize genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide, to cancer in lab rats.
Farmers Guardian (3 Jan)

OFC13: Study reveals farming's 'great' contribution to society
A report, unveiled at the Oxford Farming Conference (OFC) today (January 3), highlights how farmers contribute to some of the country’s bigger problems such as mass water storage, flood defence and even social care of those in need.
Farmers Guardian (3 Jan)

Pressure on land use could ease in future
The amount of the Earth’s surface used for agriculture will decline as farmers become smarter, according to American researchers.
Farmers Guardian (3 Jan)

Defra plan to boost new entrants to farming
Farm minister David Heath has unveiled a government drive to get more young people working in food and agriculture.
Farmers Weekly (2 Jan)

Farming Today
The Secretary of State for the Environment Owen Paterson talks to Charlotte Smith about what the year ahead holds for UK agriculture and pledges to make the case for GM in Europe.
BBC Radio 4 Listen again (3 Jan) 

And finally… Africa: David Attenborough's new BBC1 series – in pictures
The Guardian (2 Jan)