Today's News - 06 November 2012

“The research that the Gates Foundation is funding may not be appropriate for small-scale farmers’ needs and demands, even if nitrogen-fixing cereals do prove to be viable. It would better serve these farmers by supporting existing work on effective, agricultural technologies and heeding the solutions, priorities and techniques already articulated by African farmers and organizations.”
Ashley Fent and Phil Bereano – The Seattle Times – 4 November 2012

 

Up in Smoke part 2: Honduran farmers transform families' fortunes – video
In this second video of a three-part series of short films based around the documentary Up In Smoke, we look further into how a sustainable way of agriculture might replace slash-and-burn farming, which is destructive to the rainforest. An organic method of farming might also provide greater financial security for small farmers and revitalise the ecosystem in which it is implemented
The Guardian (06 Nov)

Op-ed: Gates Foundation should step away from funding genetically modified crops in Africa
Guest columnists Ashley Fent and Phil Bereano write that Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s funding to develop genetically modified crops is problematic because it does not provide practical solutions for people who run small farms in Africa.
The Seattle Times (4 Nov)

Guide to stop feathers being ruffled
Hen keepers have a new guide. The booklet was produced jointly by the Asurewel project; a collaboration between the University of Bristol, the RSPCA and the Soil Association. The partnership offers a new practical scheme for the welfare of hens and will be part of a new assurance system.
Veterinary Record (03 Nov, p.437)
Find out more about the AssureWel project

New minister committed to CAP ‘greening’
DEFRA remains committed to a policy of "greening" the Common Agricultural Policy, even though this may reduce cereal production in an era when feed costs are already riding high.
Farmers Weekly (6 Nov)

North Wales farmer jailed for TB biosecurity violations
A cattle farmer from Flintshire in Wales has been sentenced to 46 weeks in jail for flouting TB regulations. Brynford farmer Mark Payne admitted to moving animals illegally without pre-movement testing at Mold Crown Court on Friday (2nd November).
Farming Online (5 Nov)

Wheat futures hit record high of £222/t
Having broken through record levels last week, with the May 2013 contract ending the week at £219.35/t, the London market moved up another notch on Monday to £222/t for the same period.
Farmers Guardian (05 Nov)

Gangmaster Licensing Authority under fire after 'extreme exploitation' revealed
A Major UK food company has questioned the effectiveness of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) after a company licensed by the authority was accused of ‘extreme exploitation’ of its workers.
Farmers Guardian (05 Nov)

Departing board member queries NBA's future
The National Beef Association (NBA) could cease to exist if it does not turn things round in the next 12 months, according to a board member who recently resigned.
Farmer’s Guardian (03 Nov)

Farming Today
Invasive American Signal crayfish are found in a Scottish river for the first time causing concern for the salmon industry. Farmers will be prosecuted if they spread mud on country roads. More flooding is unavoidable if the UK gets even average rainfall this winter. And Anna Hill visits a hot steamy warehouse in East Anglia to see how British farmers are meeting the growing taste for mushrooms.
BBC Radio 4, listen again (6 Nov)

And finally…GDT European wildlife photographer of the year 2012 – in pictures
Stunning images of animals from land and sea feature in this selection of the best wildlife snaps of the GDT European wildlife photographer of the year awards.
The Guardian (06 Nov)