Today's News - 03 December 2012

  “The weight of science shows the impact pesticides are having on pollinators across the board is really very serious and dramatic. In terms of the benefits pollinators provide to farmers it’s been calculated that if UK farmers had to use other forms of pollination it would cost around £1.8 billion per year. In an economic sense it absolutely does make sense to ban neonicotinoids.”
Emma Hockridge, Head of Policy for the Soil Association, Farming Today, 03 December 2012

Supermarkets to stock 'ugly' vegetables this Christmas
This year, there is bad news for cooks looking for attractive vegetables to go with their stuffed turkey at Christmas: poor weather and flooding this year has produced some small, misshapen and ugly winter vegetables, writes Josie Ensor.
The Telegraph (02 Dec)

Fish farms that kill seals must be named, says Scots information czar
Scottish ministers have been ordered to reveal the names of fish farms that shoot seals alongside the numbers killed, after attempting to keep the information secret.
The Times (03 Dec)

EU moves towards easing burden of greening on farmers
EU policymakers are making significant strides towards reducing the burden of ‘greening’ on farmers, under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform process.
Farmers Guardian (30 Nov)

GMO giant DuPont hires ex-cops to 'enforce' patents
So far gone is the traditional act of saving your seed for the next harvest, now DuPont Co., the second-largest seed company in the world, uses former police officers to stop farmers illegally re-planting GMO seeds.
Digital Journal (30 Nov)

Battle looms over agri-environment schemes
A major battle is looming between the European Parliament and EU Ministers over whether national Governments will be required to contribute to funds cut from direct farm payments to pay for rural development schemes.
Farmers Guardian (03 Dec)

Development of countryside will lead to 'bitter land disputes' - CLA
Major road and rail projects such as HS2 will cause “bitter land disputes” lasting generations because laws on compulsory purchase are so out of date, a report warns.
The Telegraph (03 Dec)

Prince makes impassioned plea for school growing drive
Prince Charles and Jamie Oliver have called on schools and private businesses around the country to roll out healthy eating schemes both to combat obesity and improve concentration levels.
Fresh Produce Journal p.4 (30 Nov)

Cheers to Christmas: Organic Ale
The Soil Association is mentioned in this piece on organic ale. Sue was about to cycle home to the UK after working for two years with the Voluntary Services Overseas. As for Wim, he had just cycled to Nepal through Tibet from Holland. Because of their love for cycling they were introduced, but then cycled off separately.
Savista Magazine (01 Dec)

Organic Farming Boom in Palestine
A back-to-the-land movement is blossoming in the Palestinian Authority, the United Nation’s newest nonmember observer state. “The Palestinian future is in the land.” Farmer Khader Khader said, standing in his organic olive grove in the northern West Bank village of Nus Jubail. Many Palestinian farmers are switching to organic farming methods, and selling their oil to high-end grocers in the US and Europe.
Green Prophet (02 Dec)

Farmer declares estate “GMO-free zone”
Long standing Soil Association licensee, Sir Julian Rose, who owns the Hardwick Estate, fears genetically modified organisms could harm humans if they make their way into food.
Henley Standard (03 Dec)

Kenya: Scientists Torn Over Recent GM Food Ban
Scientists fear that Kenya's recent banning of the import of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) may be a significant blow to progress on biotechnology research and development in the country.
All Africa (30 Nov)

DOJ Mysteriously Quits Monsanto Antitrust Investigation
There's an age-old tradition in Washington of making unpopular announcements when no one's listening—like, you know, the days leading up to Thanksgiving. That's when the Obama administration sneaked a tasty dish to the genetically modified seed/pesticide industry, writes Tom Philpott
Mother Jones (01 Dec)

Sustainable palm oil logo draws a blank with consumers
Just 3% of British consumers recognise an on-pack logo launched in 2010 to promote the sustainable production of palm oil, an exclusive survey for the Grocer has revealed.
The Grocer (01 Dec)

Divine chocolate owner Kuapa Kokoo trials Fairtrade radio shows in Ghana
Divine Chocolate’s owner, cocoa co-op Kuapa Kokoo, has trialed a series of eight radio programs to make information on issues such as Fairtrade, farming practices and child labour more accessible to its members in Ghana’s western region.
The Grocer (01 Dec)

Farmer removes RSPCA collection boxes from shop
Customers of a farm shop in Devon have requested that RSPCA collection boxes be removed in protest against the charity's chief executive Gavin Grant.
Farmers Weekly (30 Nov)

Farmer gets suspended jail term for pig cruelty
A pig farmer has been fined £1,500 and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work after being convicted of pig cruelty.
Farmers Weekly (30 Nov)

USDA examines public and private research spending
The US Department of Agriculture this week published an examination into the relationship between public and private investment into agricultural research and development.
Farming Online (30 Nov)

Farming Today
The Soil Association is featured when Charlotte Smith hears warnings some honey bees will struggle to make it through the winter and MPs are examining the on-going debate over neonicotinoid pesticides. Farming Today hears from manufacturers, Syngenta; LEAF, which promotes environmentally responsible farming and the Soil Association.
BBC Radio 4, listen again (03 Dec)

And finally…British Antarctic Survey - in pictures
British scientists flew to Antarctica on Saturday night to begin an extraordinary search for life in Ellsworth lake, a subglacial body of water underneath almost two miles (3km) of ice
The Guardian (02 Dec)