Country of Origin Labeling needed for food WASHINGTON — National Farmers Union, along with more than 200 organizations representing a broad cross-section of groups including consumers, urged members of Congress to support mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL). This is the largest coalition letter ever sent on COOL. (The Cornucopia Institute is a co-signer of this letter… Read more »
Will Thirst for Biofuels Affect Global Hunger?
Alert Net Ruth Gidley Fans of biofuels give the impression we could soon be running cars on maize, producing electricity with sugar, and getting power from palm oil. Using plants to feed our fuel needs sounds like a great idea, and it could be a moneyspinner for some poor countries, but it might well mean… Read more »
Deal May Hurt Organic Cotton
Check Biotech By Kristen Philipkoski Organic cotton growers could face increased risk of crop contamination if a merger between the world’s largest seed company and the nation’s largest cottonseed seller is allowed to proceed, an influential agriculture watchdog group warned Thursday. Biotech giant Monsanto agreed to purchase Delta and Pine Land Company (DPL) last August… Read more »
Nation’s Largest Milk Company Says No to Milk From Cloned Cows
KTIC 840 Rural Radio Nebraska WASHINGTON (AP) – Milk from cloned cows is no longer welcome at the nation’s biggest milk company. Although the government has approved meat and milk from cloned animals while it conducts further studies, Dean Foods Co. of Dallas said Thursday that its customers and consumers don’t want milk from cloned… Read more »
Ads Miff Dairy Industry Reps
Horizon Organic radio spots disparage conventional milk, leaders say Capital Press Cookson Beecher Radio ads for Horizon Organic milk that recently ran in Washington state, Oregon and California have dairy industry representatives dismayed over what they describe as “over the top” disparagement of conventional milk. And while they say they’re happy that the ads were… Read more »
Federal Court Rules USDA Erred in Approving Genetically Engineered Alfalfa Without Full Environmental Review
Precedent-setting Decision May Block Planting, Sales of Monsanto Alfalfa Washington, DC— In a decision handed down yesterday, a Federal Court has ruled, for the first time ever, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture failed to abide by federal environmental laws when it approved a genetically engineered crop without conducting a full Environment Impact Statement (EIS)…. Read more »
Antibiotic Prohibition Introduced in Congress
Brownfield Network (link no longer available) by Bob Meyer Bills have been introduced in Congress that would phase-out the non-therapeutic use in animal agriculture of antibiotics that are deemed important to human medicine. The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act was introduced in the Senate by Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education,… Read more »
Bill Would Prohibit Cloned Food From Organic Labeling
Wisconsin Ag Connection Two U.S. Senators say that since cloning isn’t a natural process, it shouldn’t be marketed that way. This week, Senators Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and Patrick Leahy from Vermont introduced legislation to bar products that are produced from cloned livestock from receiving an organic food label under the National Organic Program administered… Read more »
Disease Resistance to Antibiotics Among Humans and Animals Continues to Rise
KANSAS CITY (Dow Jones)–Disease resistance to antibiotics among humans and animals continues to rise, despite declines in their use as a feed-ration additive to prevent illness and to promote growth in livestock and poultry, according to scientists and livestock industry members. In addition, worldwide use of antibiotics to treat sick animals has increased in the… Read more »
Agribusiness: Organic Erosion
Will the term organic still mean anything when it’s adopted whole hog by behemoths such as Wal-Mart? The San Francisco Chronicle Jake Whitney Marin Sun Farms, in Point Reyes, is a collection of ranches on more than 2,000 acres of rolling, certified organic pasture. All year long, cattle and chickens speckle the hills, free to… Read more »
