Category: News and events

The future focus of European cereal production will be on low input (possibly organic) systems which deploy genetically diverse crops through either varietal mixtures or composite cross populations. These crops will contribute to a multifunctional agriculture.

Apocalyptic visions of a world fast running out of food have moved uncomfortably up the news agenda to present-day reality. The Financial Times reports that rice prices have hit the US$1,000-a-tonne level for the first time as panicking importers scrambled at auctions (April 17th 2008) to secure supplies.

2007 consumer survey from FSA

A re-vampled free information and advice service for English farmers thinking of converting to organic production has been launched by Defra Sustainable Food and Farming Minister Lord Rooker.

The UK Government should delay introducing road biofuel at the pumps.

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.

Cash for farmers to leave land uncultivated as wildlife habitat (set-aside) in on its way back into UK farm policy

GM maize edges out organic production in Spain.

Seeds from some genetically modified crops can endure in soil for at least 10 years. That’s the finding of Swedish scientists who examined a field, originally planted with experimental oilseed rape a decade ago, and found transgenic specimens were still growing there.

Horse power on Iain Tolhurst’s holding

The European Commission has confirmed that the implementation of the new EU-wide organic “Bio” logo will be postponed until 2010.

Are the world’s livestock such polluters of our atmosphere?

New plan from EU to combat climate change

MPs say biofuels are no solution