Category: News and events

The relentless spread of Bluetongue across the UK continues with at least 110 holdings now affected.

The Organic Center, based in Boulder Colorado USA has concluded that the conversion of all eight million acres of U.S. produce farms (horticultural land) from “conventional” to organic would reduce pesticide dietary risks by some 97 per cent.

The Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens, has confirmed (June 3rd) Avian Influenza in chickens on premises near Banbury in Oxfordshire

Farm-animal MRSA strain arrives in the UK

Defra’s plans for how it intends to deliver Bluetongue BTV-8 vaccine to the nation’s anxious livestock farmers has just been revealed. They appear to rely rather a lot on crossed fingers, prayers and “flexibility”. And it now looks likely that the whole of England may well be declared a Bluetongue “Restricted Zone” by this summer.

The world’s retail organic agriculture market is worth nearly US$40 billion a year and is now produced from over 30 million hectares of land. Australia has by far the largest organic production area (12.3 million hectares).

The Government’s current method of controlling cattle TB – surveillance, testing and slaughter – is not working effectively. That is the conclusion of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) select committee in its report Badgers and cattle TB, published on February 27th.

A new, independent report, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, has concluded that the majority of bovine tuberculosis spread in high-risk areas is a result of badger-to-cattle interaction.

The “Jamie Oliver” effect, resulting from the screening of the TV show Jamie’s Fowl Dinners, is seeing supermarkets suffering shortages of free range and organic chicken, reports the Daily Mail.