Today's News - 11 December 2012

“The UK does not grow GM crops because the Government’s own farm-scale trials showed a decade ago that GM harms wildlife already threatened by industrial farming”
Pete Riley, campaigner for GM Freeze, The Daily Mail, 11 December 2012

Every restaurant steak comes from cattle given GM feed, claims minister
Fears over Frankenstein Foods are ‘humbug’, the new farming minister insisted yesterday, arguing that many Britons happily eat beef from cattle fed on GM crops. (Soil Association quoted)
The Daily Mail (11 Dec)
Environment Secretary backs GM crops
(Soil Association quoted)
Farming Online (10 Dec)
Defra Minister shows support for GM
The Grocer (10 Dec)
Campaigners slam Paterson over GM stance
(Soil Association quoted)
Farmers Weekly (11 Dec)
Speed up roll-out of GM crops, says Downing Street
(Soil Association quoted)
The Telegraph (10 Dec)

GM Debate
Soil Association’s Peter Melchett debates GM crops with Dr. Julian Little, Chairman of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council.
BBC Radio 5 Live, listen now (feature begins at 1:16) (10 Dec)

Honey bees' genetic code unlocked
Researchers say they have unlocked the genetic secrets of honey bees' high sensitivity to environmental change.
BBC News (11 Dec)
Find out what you can do to Keep Britain Buzzing

GM trials to go ahead next year
Scientists will go ahead with plans to plant genetically modified (GM) crops in the UK next year, despite vandalism during the summer. (Soil Association quoted)
The Telegraph (10 Dec)

British woodlands need diversity from around the world
Trees in Britain do not have enough genetic diversity to cope with a global influx of pathogens.
The Telegraph (09 Dec)

Vandana Shiva: Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Forest
Today, at a time of multiple crises, we need to move away from thinking of nature as dead matter to valuing her biodiversity, clean water, and seeds. For this, nature herself is the best teacher.
Alternet (10 Dec)

How do you marinate a polar bear? Greenpeace protesters hi-jack Delia Smith online Q&A
There aren’t many culinary queries that can stump Delia Smith. “How do I marinate a polar bear?” appears to be one of them.
The Independent (08 Dec)

CAP should be 'value for money' conference hears
Taxpayers need to see they are getting ‘real value for money’ from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) at a time of shrinking budgets and austerity across the EU, a conference heard.
Farmers Guardian (10 Dec)

More UK aid channelled via investment funds in tax haven of Mauritius
New research from War on Want reveals that the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) has been using the aid budget to promote the interests of multinational food companies in Africa – with potentially devastating effects on small-scale farmers and rural communities.
The Guardian (11 Dec)

TEXT-Fitch:EU budget debate to set tone for agribusiness in 2013
A potentially fierce debate in the first weeks of 2013 over the future of the Common Agricultural Policy and the broader European Union budget will begin a year of high regulatory uncertainty for the European and CIS agribusiness sector, Fitch Ratings says.
Reuters (10 Dec)

Soil Association licensee wins M&S contract
Island Bakery Organics have been awarded a large M&S contract. The business also received funds from EU and the ethical bank Triodos that were used to develop the factory.
Reporting Scotland (07 Dec)

Farming Today
Leading scientists welcome the Environment Secretary's clear support for GM crops. Think tank Chatham House says a new international body should be set up to help regulate global commodity prices. And as food processor Vion searches for a buyer for its 38 UK sites, Anna Hill hears warnings that not all 13,000 jobs will survive the sale.
BBC Radio 4, listen again (11 Dec)

And finally… VIDEO: Gangnam Style farm parody goes viral
A farming parody of the international hit Gangnam Style made by three American brothers has generated more than six million YouTube views in little more than a week.
Farmers Weekly watch here (10 Dec)