Today's News - 20 November 2012

“We’re delighted that Anglesey’s schools are the first in Wales to be serving Catering-mark standard meals to their pupils. We know that schoolchildren, their parents, and teachers care about health, animal welfare and planet-friendly food, and the catering mark gives them that guarantee. Lechyd Da Cymru!”
Rob Sexton, CEO of Soil Association Certification, Educatering 1 November 2012

Behind the headlines
GM crops returned to the public eye earlier this year when a protest group called Take the Flour Back demanded an end to trials of wheat genetically modified to resist aphids. The trial is one of several GM developments in the UK. GM supporters say the debate has moved on, but critics argue the original concerns remain.
BBC Countryfile magazine (01 Dec)
Find out more about the Soil Associations stance on GM crops

Chicken owning fad lauded by Jamie Oliver 'hurting birds'
A new study has found that backyard chicken-keepers have a lack of disease knowledge and insufficient awareness of laws needed to breed animals at home.
The Telegraph (19 Nov)
Find out how we think chickens should be treated 

The nutritional recession: How we're all eating Pot Noodles and chips because we can't afford fresh food
Britons are facing a nutritional recession as households turn to 'cheaper' fatty foods to cope with a hike in food prices and shrinking incomes.
The Daily Mail (20 Nov)

Walmart Goodies: Retail giant goes gourmet
"Gourmet" and "artisan" are probably not the first words that come to mind when you see a Walmart logo. But Walmart is trying to change that.
MyFox (18 Nov)
Walmart Goodies: Organic Food Delivered To Your Doorstep For $7 Per Month
The Digital Times (14 Nov)

Russia allows GMO soy in feed production
Russian authorities have recently approved the use of GM soy BPS-CV127-9 (BASF Plant Science Company) for use in animal feeding.
All About Feed (19 Nov)

Anglesea schools achieve bronze FFL catering mark
Eden Foodservice and the Isle of Anglesey County Council have received the Bronze Food For Life Catering Mark for the primary and special schools within Anglesey.
Educatering (01 Dec)
Find out more about how schools achieve Catering Marks 

World's most expensive coffee tainted by 'horrific' civet abuse
It's the world's most expensive coffee and is made from faeces, but connoisseur drinkers should feel most squeamish about the "horrific" abuse that mars its production process, animal welfare groups have claimed.
The Guardian (19 Nov)

'Antibiotics rules must be based on sound science', animal health experts warn
Kneejerk political measures to reduce antimicrobial resistance in Europe and the UK could have a ‘severe’ impact on animal health, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has warned.
Farmers Guardian (19 Nov)

“RSPCA threats bring charity into disrepute” - FUW
The Farmers Union of Wales has accused the Charity Commission of bringing the nature of charities into disrepute by failing to confront the RSPCA over its threats to farmers.
Farmers Guardian (19 Nov)

Church resolution on GMOs vindicates Ledyard farmer
The Connecticut branch of a major Protestant church alliance last month adopted a resolution calling for education about genetically modified foods, which a Ledyard farmer said has strengthened his efforts.
Norwich Bulletin (18 Nov)

Farming Today
Suspected cases of Ash Dieback appear in domestic gardens for the first time. The booming slug population is causing some farmers to double the amount of slug pellets they are using on crops. And a poor wheat harvest in the Ukraine has led to speculation that another Ukrainian wheat export ban is inevitable.
BBC Radio 4, listen again (20 Nov)

And finally… Into the wild: protect the pangolin
Pangolins are one of those animals you have to take on trust. You need to have faith that the images you see have not been Photoshopped or CGIed, that these beasts are real earthlings as fully evolved as we humans. It’s not as though you’re ever going to see one in the wild: they are nocturnal forest-lurkers.
The Times (Nov 17)