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18-01-2013 06:33 AM
21-01-2013 07:59 AM
| Posted by Jeremy Roe
If you are a farmer who has been mis-sold a SWAP go to the Bully-Banks' website and join over 2000 small business men and women who are seeking justice for the mis-sale of these products.
16-01-2013 14:15 PM
21-01-2013 14:34 PM
| Posted by Anon
could the horse dna have arisen by cattle actually being fed foodstuff containing horse meat??
16-01-2013 13:47 PM
17-01-2013 21:45 PM
| Posted by Cynthia Cull
I have a small food manufacturing buisness and find it hard to find organic egs in bulk. Iuse at least 50kg of pasturised egg a week and 15kg of yolk. Only the yolk is organic because I can't find any liquid whole egg. I also buy liquid eggwhite can not find organic. Stat marketing to small artisan companies - we all want them but we want the sort of service we get from our non organic egg producers. Cake pudding and pie maunufacturers want then but want them easy NOT CHEAPLY. Get out there to fine food fairs and sell to all those cup cake companies they use tons but don't expect us to go to tesco's, we want them delivered to our factory door every week.
16-01-2013 06:46 AM
24-01-2013 11:16 AM
| Posted by Graham
This brilliant piece of research work indicates that many farmers are committing crimes almost guaranteed to increase the spread of bTB.
Just wait for their screams of indignation if protesters are seen to break the law.
Just wait for their screams of indignation if protesters are seen to break the law.
15-01-2013 06:47 AM
15-01-2013 08:21 AM
| Posted by Just a farmer
This report is not based on facts but on crude speculation.
Fact is that the ban on imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin and fipronil in Italy since 2008 lead to HIGHER yields.
The agrochemical industry is very afraid for the European Food Safety Authority Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment for bees for the active substances imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin that will be published later this week. It proves that the current authorization is illegal because there are very big data gaps in the authorization dossier. The timing of this Humbold Forum report is strategic, but it is important that my fellow farmers know that their report is not based on facts but on strategic speculation.
Fact is that the ban on imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin and fipronil in Italy since 2008 lead to HIGHER yields.
The agrochemical industry is very afraid for the European Food Safety Authority Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment for bees for the active substances imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin that will be published later this week. It proves that the current authorization is illegal because there are very big data gaps in the authorization dossier. The timing of this Humbold Forum report is strategic, but it is important that my fellow farmers know that their report is not based on facts but on strategic speculation.
15-01-2013 23:00 PM
| Posted by Sal
Sadly, DEFRA is filling the data gaps with unreasonable demands for proof that these 3 particular neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, clothianidin, & thiamethoxam) are adversely affecting our pollinators, as much for prevarication, & fiscal gain I am sure, apart from any deluded conviction that they are "safe".
EFSA & DEFRA between them are creating enough uncertainty around this whole issue so that nothing will happen, as people are so unsure what to believe. This is in spite of many decent independent studies showing that neonics have acute sublethal effects on bees. It's like the tobacco industry all over again. I believe even DDT took 30 years or so to be banned. Lets learn something from history!
EFSA & DEFRA between them are creating enough uncertainty around this whole issue so that nothing will happen, as people are so unsure what to believe. This is in spite of many decent independent studies showing that neonics have acute sublethal effects on bees. It's like the tobacco industry all over again. I believe even DDT took 30 years or so to be banned. Lets learn something from history!
10-01-2013 11:36 AM
10-01-2013 14:28 PM
| Posted by BeeNuts
Research into the optimal dose/frequency of oxalic acid treatment under UK conditions and licensing such a product would be a good start to managing varroa more effectively.
09-01-2013 07:00 AM
09-01-2013 17:40 PM
| Posted by Plasingli
Lynas should have applied a little scientific scepticism to most of what he said in this lecture. It's actually a thinly disguised GM industry puff -- heard it all before. There's plenty of real science out there, which Lynas has probably never read. Look at this please:
The Lynas School of pseudo-scientific environmentalism
Twenty-two pieces of junk science from the Lynas Manifesto
http://www.gmfreecymru.org/pivotal_papers/lynas_school.html
The Lynas School of pseudo-scientific environmentalism
Twenty-two pieces of junk science from the Lynas Manifesto
http://www.gmfreecymru.org/pivotal_papers/lynas_school.html
08-01-2013 14:58 PM
08-01-2013 22:29 PM
| Posted by Mercy Full
I think ''logistics of delivery'' will be very difficult indeed as so many people are very unhappy at the prospect of this cruel slaughter.
09-01-2013 01:43 AM
| Posted by Disgruntled
I am one of the farmers in the Gloucestershire area. Something has to be done about this TB. Fiddling at the edges won't work we need real leadership. Last year I was worried that the antis would manage to stop the cull but I was informed by Gloscon that if I paid and the cull was delayed then I'd get my money back. Well the cull was delayed and I still haven't had my money back! Why did they lie to me? It's bad enough being stabbed in the back by the government over this cull but you don't expect to be stabbed in the back by other farmers. So I'm not out of pocket and still nothing has been done about the wildlife reservoirs.
09-01-2013 15:04 PM
| Posted by MEMEME
Maybe if the govenment insisted that farmers biosecured there farms better and put in badger proffing the issue would be reduced also lets not forget, deer and other cows spread it to.Oh yer and poor farm movmnts/managment. the badger is only one of the causes. See defras Youtube vidio they explain how famers can protect there farmsfrom TB better.
04-01-2013 13:33 PM
15-01-2013 09:59 AM
| Posted by Mike Donovan
Congrats Keenan - last week I was reporting on a beef enterprise which has been using the Mech-Fiber system for a beef suckler herd in Orkney over the past year or more and they are getting outstanding benefits. How they do it will be in the next Practical Farm Ideas out Feb 10
04-01-2013 11:42 AM
07-01-2013 18:12 PM
| Posted by C.Palmer
Record high summer temperatures could be on the cards for the northern hemisphere this year following the present climatic conditions being experienced in the southern hemisphere. This could lead to droughts and poor yields in the main cropping areas. US corn area plantings may be at an 80 year high but this will not have the effect suggested as global demand for grain is much higher than it has ever been due to an ever expanding global population. However you look at it there will be a significant weather event this year somewhere in the major grain producing regions of the world.
31-12-2012 15:48 PM
01-01-2013 10:55 AM
| Posted by Dave Rawlins
How typical. Brussels introduces a new regulation. We gold-plate it and enforce it. Other countries ignore it.
19-12-2012 11:04 AM
19-12-2012 13:46 PM
| Posted by AMO SINGH
About time common sense prevailed the gustapo state will at least now allow us to help ourselves without complex bureaucracy and without the fear of being persecuted for using common sense.
19-12-2012 09:20 AM
19-12-2012 19:59 PM
| Posted by George Paton, WebbPaton
Now some CAP Reform pundits were not expecting the EU to announce this before Christmas! Maybe the Irish Presidency will get it over the finishing line. What is evident to me is that this text has been drawn up so that the amount that is paid out can be agreed in the future. Within the text the problem I see is how the RPA / Defra will translate this and how it will work back on the farm?
There are still some practical issues in the legal wording which simply will not work on the farm. The following worrying factors are still there:
1) 7% greening
2) the requirement to grow three crops if 15 hectares of land is in arable.
3) the National Reserve is only open to farmers under 40
4) what happens if you bought or rented farm since 17th October 2011 without a contract to transfer the Single Payment Entitlements as part of the deal?
5) what will actually be paid? It appears that the EU will decide on the amount to give each Member State annually
6) Other Member States could potentially have a history based system until 2019, is that a level playing field?
Hopefully the RPA will roll over our entitlements system to the new system as is allowed for and the EU will keep the text so only real farmers can claim SPS. Maybe this will be
implemented on 1st January 2014 after all.
There are still some practical issues in the legal wording which simply will not work on the farm. The following worrying factors are still there:
1) 7% greening
2) the requirement to grow three crops if 15 hectares of land is in arable.
3) the National Reserve is only open to farmers under 40
4) what happens if you bought or rented farm since 17th October 2011 without a contract to transfer the Single Payment Entitlements as part of the deal?
5) what will actually be paid? It appears that the EU will decide on the amount to give each Member State annually
6) Other Member States could potentially have a history based system until 2019, is that a level playing field?
Hopefully the RPA will roll over our entitlements system to the new system as is allowed for and the EU will keep the text so only real farmers can claim SPS. Maybe this will be
implemented on 1st January 2014 after all.
18-12-2012 08:25 AM
02-01-2013 11:06 AM
| Posted by Augusto Freire, President, ProTerra Foundation
The title of this article is absolutely misleading. The bottom line is that the UK will never be self-sufficient in either GM or Non-GM soy to meet demand for various agronomical reasons, including insufficient acreage. The self-sufficiency card is simply not applicable to the global reality of the commodity trading market.
To develop soy varieties suitable for UK land, daylight cycle and climate will take years. Conventional varieties will fare better than GM varieties. If fact conventional varieties are developed first by any soy breeder and if desired only later on the GM trait can be inserted in the plants. With global warming and longer sunlight time, it might be possible for the UK to grow soy in some scale. Eastern Europe would be a much better solution, Danube Soy Project being a good initiative in this regard.
The Brazilian 2011/2012 crop was expected to be much larger. Droughts caused production decrease in Brazil and in the Americas as a whole. Non-GM varieties endured the drought much better than GM varieties in Brazil. Thus, it is simply not true that the expected '25% Brazil increase' will be completely GM, because farmers know that Non-GM is more stable and will also plant, in part, Non-GM as a security measure.
The logistics bottleneck still exists in Brazil but for 2014 more port terminals and port facilities will start operating. Brazilian industry, especially with regard to Non-GM exports continues, to look for solutions to expand and improve logistics for soy products, both for domestic use and export.
European importers, together with Brazilian crushers and exporters should coordinate and combine efforts to improve logistics and supply. The Foundation believes Cert ID will be certifying approximately four million metric tons of soy and soy derivatives for the food sector from Brazil under the ProTerra standard for sustainable soy in 2013. The potential for continued Non-GM soy to be supplied to the UK is far more positive than this article would lead readers to believe.
To develop soy varieties suitable for UK land, daylight cycle and climate will take years. Conventional varieties will fare better than GM varieties. If fact conventional varieties are developed first by any soy breeder and if desired only later on the GM trait can be inserted in the plants. With global warming and longer sunlight time, it might be possible for the UK to grow soy in some scale. Eastern Europe would be a much better solution, Danube Soy Project being a good initiative in this regard.
The Brazilian 2011/2012 crop was expected to be much larger. Droughts caused production decrease in Brazil and in the Americas as a whole. Non-GM varieties endured the drought much better than GM varieties in Brazil. Thus, it is simply not true that the expected '25% Brazil increase' will be completely GM, because farmers know that Non-GM is more stable and will also plant, in part, Non-GM as a security measure.
The logistics bottleneck still exists in Brazil but for 2014 more port terminals and port facilities will start operating. Brazilian industry, especially with regard to Non-GM exports continues, to look for solutions to expand and improve logistics for soy products, both for domestic use and export.
European importers, together with Brazilian crushers and exporters should coordinate and combine efforts to improve logistics and supply. The Foundation believes Cert ID will be certifying approximately four million metric tons of soy and soy derivatives for the food sector from Brazil under the ProTerra standard for sustainable soy in 2013. The potential for continued Non-GM soy to be supplied to the UK is far more positive than this article would lead readers to believe.
12-12-2012 14:08 PM
17-12-2012 23:20 PM
| Posted by AU has 3rd world animal welfare
Think welfare is bad in Europe, should take a look at Australia. We have some of the very worst practices which are supported by a very morally corrupt Govt. Transport up to 2 days, yes 2 days without food and water. Poor handling, uncontrolled use of electrical prodders is rife, uncontrolled use of dogs to attack sheep; biting the sheep when and where ever the dogs can, belting sheep and cattle with piping when the animals are actuality moving, packing animals into trucks to the point hey cant move and transporting for hours under those conditions, denying animals food and water over days in order to sell and transport...shall I go on?
10-12-2012 14:00 PM
10-12-2012 17:37 PM
| Posted by Oliver Dowding
It strikes me that the only thing that Paterson has backed is to back himself into a corner.
Does anyone else notice the way in which the message is being repeated, repeated, repeated in the hope that we all believe it? It doesn't change the truth of the matter. This very good short film featuring American farmers who've come the wrong side of the so-called GM wonder crops is well worth watching. You won't see this quoted in the corporate handouts! http://vimeo.com/18994807
Look at Prof Glover urging on sustainable intensification, a snazzy buzzword that so many, including the NFU, have become addicted to.
What chance that Paterson and his ilk will actually look at what consumers want? Will he offer them all the information they need to make an informed choice? When he says "GM crops were already being used worldwide on a large scale and people were already eating GM food unwittingly", surely he sees therefore the consumers have been conned? Surely he ought by his own inference to therefore be insisting that food be labelled correctly to give consumers a proper and informed choice? No doubt he'll fall for the American line, that they think that there's no discernible difference between the genetically manipulated and the plant that nature provides. At least, that's what the GM companies have led the American government to believe, and persuaded them to accept. Thus, virtually nothing has ever been tested independently, for any length of time, or properly. Are we really ready to swallow that?
Does anyone else notice the way in which the message is being repeated, repeated, repeated in the hope that we all believe it? It doesn't change the truth of the matter. This very good short film featuring American farmers who've come the wrong side of the so-called GM wonder crops is well worth watching. You won't see this quoted in the corporate handouts! http://vimeo.com/18994807
Look at Prof Glover urging on sustainable intensification, a snazzy buzzword that so many, including the NFU, have become addicted to.
What chance that Paterson and his ilk will actually look at what consumers want? Will he offer them all the information they need to make an informed choice? When he says "GM crops were already being used worldwide on a large scale and people were already eating GM food unwittingly", surely he sees therefore the consumers have been conned? Surely he ought by his own inference to therefore be insisting that food be labelled correctly to give consumers a proper and informed choice? No doubt he'll fall for the American line, that they think that there's no discernible difference between the genetically manipulated and the plant that nature provides. At least, that's what the GM companies have led the American government to believe, and persuaded them to accept. Thus, virtually nothing has ever been tested independently, for any length of time, or properly. Are we really ready to swallow that?
10-12-2012 21:28 PM
| Posted by Kev C
Thank you Oliver for posting the link. Unfortunately there will be those out there who insist that 20 years of consumption by Americans is proof that it is safe. Yet what they fail to point out is that there has been a disproportionate increase in serious ill health among Americans for which no specific cause can be attributed. No surprise then that they will say its not GMO's. Sadly they are deluding everyone, including themselves. You cannot prove something is safe when there is no baseline from which to work. That baseline is traceability. They do not know which food contains GMO's in the US so how can they follow the causes of these diseases? They can't. As a plausible source of evidence it wouldn't even get out of the classroom let alone a full scientific peer review process.
So the claim that GMO's are safe to eat is deeply flawed. There is no proof of safety regarding human consumption of GMO's. Its all corporate propaganda designed to secure total control over the entire global food supply through patents and the WTO.
The only safe and reliable way of feeding a growing population at a time when the climate is rapidly changing and land fertility is falling is to revert to permaculture techniques. Follow this link:
http://permaculturenews.org/
Check out the 'How to survive the coming crisis' video linked to on the right hand side of the page.
We don't need GMO's to feed the world. We need locally grown open pollinating crops and less chemical toxins not mono culture/chemical warfare both on the land and in our kitchens.
Owen Paterson is barking up the wrong tree.
So the claim that GMO's are safe to eat is deeply flawed. There is no proof of safety regarding human consumption of GMO's. Its all corporate propaganda designed to secure total control over the entire global food supply through patents and the WTO.
The only safe and reliable way of feeding a growing population at a time when the climate is rapidly changing and land fertility is falling is to revert to permaculture techniques. Follow this link:
http://permaculturenews.org/
Check out the 'How to survive the coming crisis' video linked to on the right hand side of the page.
We don't need GMO's to feed the world. We need locally grown open pollinating crops and less chemical toxins not mono culture/chemical warfare both on the land and in our kitchens.
Owen Paterson is barking up the wrong tree.
17-12-2012 16:47 PM
| Posted by Martin K
The thing that really worries me is the lack of balanced evidence on which this is based. The last "cunning plan" we had from a Conservative minister was to feed bits of dead cow to living cows. Apparently perfectly safe until we get BSE...
We do not want to be part of an experiment by multinational giants telling us there is no alternative and feeding the line very convincintgly to government ministers.
Conventional breeding of crops is showing inreasing yields year after year. That technology is safe and has stood the test of time. Put some money into that instead of falling for the beguiling words of a smart salesman.
We do not want to be part of an experiment by multinational giants telling us there is no alternative and feeding the line very convincintgly to government ministers.
Conventional breeding of crops is showing inreasing yields year after year. That technology is safe and has stood the test of time. Put some money into that instead of falling for the beguiling words of a smart salesman.
08-12-2012 17:56 PM
10-12-2012 08:45 AM
| Posted by daniel
great story but i am always astounded at the naivety of expats going to poorer countries.
09-03-2013 11:56 AM
| Posted by mary silver
Sounds like a tough move ,but what a great life style, wish i was game enough to do it. Best wishes for your future.
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