Today's News

04 January 2013

 "The UK government’s own farm scale experiment showed that overall the GM crops were worse for British wildlife. US Government figures show pesticide use has increased since GM crops have been grown there because superweeds and resistant insects have multiplied. Lynas, Paterson and other GM enthusiasts must beware of opening floodgates to real problems like this." 
Tom MacMillan, director of innovation, Soil Association, Farmers Weekly (3 Jan)
 

Celebrities’ GM crusade stops science feeding the poor, says campaigner
Television chefs and other public figures have been blamed for preventing science from feeding the poor by campaigning against genetically modified foods. The environmentalist Mark Lynas said GM crops could help provide more food at a lower price by reducing the need for pesticides and fertilisers. Featuring comment from the Soil Association’s director of innovation, Tom MacMillan.
The Telegraph (3 Jan)
Read the Soil Association response to comments from Owen Paterson and Mark Lynas at the Oxford Farming Conference

The Soil Association’s Pam Rodway receives MBE
An organic farmer has received an MBE in recognition for her services promoting Sustainable Food Production and Food Education in Scotland.
Forres Gazette (3 Jan)

Bad weather prompting more British farmers to consider GM use
Washout summer and flooded autumn have persuaded an increasing number of farmers to start using the technology. But Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association, said that there was no evidence, after 20 years of research and development into GM crops, that they could be reliably produced to cope with drought or flood conditions.
The Guardian (4 Jan)

Ministers launch PR drive to shake off 'Frankenstein food' image of GM crops
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson wants farmers, scientists and ministers to increase the appeal of so-called Frankenstein Foods among the public. Featuring comment from the Soil Association’s Peter Melchett.
Daily Mail (3 Jan)

Mark Lynas: Farmers should be free to grow GMs
Environmental campaigner and award-winning author Mark Lynas has called for farmers to be free to choose what kind of technologies they want to adopt and demanded anti-GM protestors stop hijacking future food production. Featuring comment from the Soil Association’s Tom MacMillan.
Farmers Weekly (3 Jan)

Bee concerns pose threat to OSR viability
Oilseed rape growers could lose one of their most powerful weapons against pest and virus attack if fresh studies into the implications for bees prove valid. Crop revenues could tumble by £170m, leaving almost half of growers wondering if the crop is still worth growing. (Soil Association mentioned)
Farmers Weekly (3 Jan)
Read more about the Soil Association’s Keep Britain Buzzing campaign 

UK government's enthusiasm for GM not matched in developing nations
Across the world, countries are turning their backs on GM crops; perhaps the coalition in the UK could learn something from them writes John Vidal.
The Guardian (4 Jan)

Organic food sales
Jim Twine, business development director at the Soil Association talks to BBC Radio Kent about organic sales figures. Feature starts 1 hour 49 mins into the show.
BBC Radio Kent (3 Jan) 

Jam today as Charles’s charities get £2.8m boost
The Prince of Wales’s charities have been given a welcome boost thanks to a good year for sales of bacon, beer and jam. Under a deal with Waitrose, the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation was given £2.8 million from the sales of Duchy Originals products.
The Times (3 Jan)

Floods 'made worse by failure to clear water courses'
Floods this year were made worse by a failure to clear water courses, Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, has admitted as farmers blamed EU red tape for stopping them removing mud from rivers.
The Telegraph (3 Jan)

The plant skyscrapers: Giant greenhouses in city centres to herald a new age of farming
Crops could soon be grown in greenhouses the size of skyscrapers in city centres across the country, it has been claimed.
Daily Mail (31 Dec 2012)

China's taste for pork serves up a pollution problem
No one asked the villagers of Houtonglong before the pig farm was built near their homes and their health began to suffer.
The Guardian (1 Jan)

My Life in Food: Renée Elliott, founder of Planet Organic
Renée Elliot was an advocate of organic food when the only other person talking about it was Prince Charles.
The Independent (3 Jan)

Prince of Wales: countryside is "as precious as an ancient cathedral"
The countryside is “as precious as an ancient cathedral” that must be protected, according to the Prince of Wales as he warned rural areas are suffering from issues like insensitive development and post office closures.
The Telegraph (3 Jan)

'Holistic policy to agriculture and environment needed'
Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness has called for a holistic approach to agriculture and the environment that takes the benefits of research work to farm level.
Farmers Weekly (3 Jan)

Owen Paterson spells out his vision for Defra
Defra secretary Owen Paterson has wasted no time tackling the issues that really matter to farmers, such as bovine TB, the rural economy and agri-science. He tells Philip Case his plans for 2013
Farmers Weekly (4 Jan)

Paterson incurs wrath over hard line CAP stance
Defra Secretary Owen Paterson has set himself on a collision course with the devolved administrations and UK farming unions by spelling out his desire to scrap direct farm payments.
Farmers Guardian (4 Jan)

Farming Today
Charlotte Smith reports from the Oxford Farming Conference, as the government launches a farming recruitment drive. But after a year of flood, drought and a disastrous harvest, who would want a career in agriculture?
BBC Radio 4. Listen again (4 Jan)

And finally… Satellite eye on Earth: December 2012 – in pictures
Agricultural patterns, shale gas fields, Russian volcanoes and Pacific typhoons were among the images captured by European Space Agency and Nasa satellites
The Guardian (2 Jan)