The private member's bill introduced by federal NDP Agriculture Critic Alex Atamanenko that would tighten regulations for the sale of genetically engineered seeds on the world market has passed second reading. If passed into law, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would be required to analyze the potential harm to export markets before the sale of any new genetically engineered seed is allowed. The bill has now been sent to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for review.
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Canada's plant science industry decries second reading passage of Bill C-474 - Read Full Story - Crop Life Canada April 15, 2010
Bill C-474 threatens profitability and sustainability of Canadian farms - Read Full Story - mySteinbach.ca April 19, 2010
Grain growers protest seed bill - Read Full Story - Better Farming April 16, 2010
Loblaw and University of Guelph announce chair in sustainable food production
Loblaw and the University of Guelph, (U of G) today announced the creation of The Loblaw Companies Limited Chair in Sustainable Food Production. The chair was made possible by a $3-million gift from Loblaw and will be the centre of U of G's research focus on creating robust food production systems. It will help lead change in food production systems through education, research, practice and outreach within the context of the essential elements of sustainability: the environment, communities and the economy.
Is the organic food craze losing health battle to 'local' labels?
Consumers cut spending as local, natural products compete
Louise Matley used to buy a lot more organic food when her now two-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, was first born.
The 37-year-old stay-at-home mom wanted to do the right thing for her baby.
I know there's a lot of pesticides and steroids that get into non-organic food, Matley said during a recent shopping trip at a large downtown Toronto supermarket.
But after the recession hit, Matley said, she began taking a closer look at her food bill and decided the family just couldn't afford to buy organic on a regular basis.
Right now, for us it's all about the budget because of the way the economy is, she said. If I see some organic stuff that's on sale, I buy it. Otherwise, I don't. New market research shows Matley is not alone.
Consumers' passion for organic food appears to be waning after several years of rapid growth, says a report by the Canadian unit of The Nielsen Company.
Sales of organic fruit and produce are still climbing but at slower rates than in previous years, according to the report by Carman Allison, called Keeping it Fresh in the New Economy
Sales of organic products in the UK fell by 12.9% in 2009 to £1.84 billion, according to the 'Organic Market Report 2010'. Yet despite the toughest economic climate for decades, the report also indicates clear signs of increasing confidence among consumers. Based on evidence from the early months of this year, the Soil Association predicts a modest market expansion of between 2% to 5% in 2010.
Growth in organics over the past nine years is quite significant, despite the downturn in 2008. Key themes and trends are over production, discounters driving down prices and consumer price sensitivity, with increasingly sophisticated consumers demanding more from organic products such as sustainability. This was revealed at ‘The World of Organic Agriculture – Statistics and Emerging Trends’, a key seminar held at the Biofach Congress on February 19, presented by Amarjit Sahota, of business research & consulting firm Organic Monitor, UK.
Mr Sahota estimated that the global market for organics was worth about $US50.9 billion dollars in 2008, and for the first time, global sales breached the $US50bn mark. “Growth has been much lower than in previous years, with only 10% growth in 2008, but looking at it historically, growth has been 235% over a period of nine years, that is very significant,” Mr Sahota said.
“However, unlike production, where organic agriculture is practiced in over 140-150 countries, the market is really concentrated in two regions. Sales of organic foods are concentrated in Europe and North America and represent 97% of global sales. The USA is leading sales and has the largest market for organic food and drink, followed by Germany, then the UK, France and Italy, in terms of revenues in US dollars
US judge clears way For GMO sugarbeet planting this year
A U.S. federal judge denied a preliminary injunction that clears the way for farmers to plant Monsanto Co.'s (MON) genetically modified sugarbeet seeds this year.
The proposed ban could have led to billions of dollars in losses for farmers and food companies as the vast majority of sugarbeets last year were grown using genetically modified seeds. Beet sugar is a staple ingredient in many processed foods and beverages.
A coalition of organic-seed growers and conservation and food-safety groups had tried to stop the planting this year of the biotech seeds on the grounds that the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not do a thorough-enough assessment on the risk to the environment.
Telling porkies: The big fat lie about doubling food production
In the UK and globally the future direction of food and farming is being driven almost entirely by two frequently quoted statistics. Experts such as the UN Secretary General, the UK Government's chief scientist, the current Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn MP, the Conservative Party, the National Farmers' Union and Monsanto, are all saying that we need to increase food production 50% by 2030 or that it needs to double by 2050.
A new investigation from the Soil Association reveals that the widely used statistics are based on a big fat lie. A new report - 'Telling porkies: The big fat lie about doubling food production' - reveals that all those claiming we need to double global food production by 2050, or 50% by 2030, are wrong about the figures, are wrong about what the figures apply to, and are wrong to claim that achieving these figures will mean we will feed the hungry or end starvation.
The back-to-back, double whammy announcements that PepsiCo (PEP) is ditching high fructose corn syrup in Gatorade along with the results of a scathing new study from researchers at Princeton make it official — allies of the controversial sweetener have lost the war.
For years, the Corn Refiners Association, a trade group consisting of companies like Cargill and ADM(ADM), has been hammering away at the bad press gushing out about high fructose corn syrup. In ads, in the press and online, they argue that the sweetener is a perfectly natural product and that it is no worse for you than regular old sugar.
March 25, 2010
Related story:
High-Fructose Corn Syrup Prompts Considerably More Weight Gain, Researchers Find - Read Full Story - ScienceDaily March 22, 2010
Debate: organic food is marketing hype?
Rethink your point of view with Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US), a live debate series in New York City. Last week, the debate covered the topic is organic food is marketing hype. Before the debate, 21% of the audience voted for the motion, 45% against, and 34% were undecided. After the debate, 21% were still for the motion, 69% against, and just 10% remained undecided.
The impacts of glyphosate (Round-Up) on soil biology and micronutrients
Glyphosate's herbicidal action stems from its ability to strongly chelate Manganese (Mn), which prevents the plant from using Mn in important metabolic pathways. The glyphosate resistance gene in genetically modified crops therefore reduces not only the ability of the plant to use Mn, but also Mn uptake. It also reduces the plants ability to withstand disease, because without Mn, a plants ability to induce disease resistance and protect itself from pathogens is compromised. In fact, studies have shown that the effectiveness of glyphosate mainly results from the colonization of the roots of treated plants by Fusarium and Pythium, two common soil pathogens. In a sterile media, where no microorganisms were present, glyphosate treated weeds did not die and growth was only temporarily inhibited! Incidentally, one study soybean seedlings were inoculated with anthracnose and one day later treated with a 0.001 ml drop of glyphosate. This tiny dose of glyphosate reduced the plants defenses, by inhibiting Mn use, to the point that the disease was able to kill the plants. None of the plants that went untreated with glyphosate were killed by the disease. Furthermore, glyphosate is known to be toxic to many microorganisms, and actually selects for microorganisms that are Mn oxidizers.
Citation:
Johal, G.S. and D.M. Huber. Glyphosate effects on diseases of plants. 2009. European Journal of Agronomy 31:144-152.
Get ready to garden! There will be lots to do at Everdale for this year's Seedy Saturday: find organic and heritage seeds and transplants for sale and bring your seeds to swap with other gardeners; take a mini-workshop on starting your seeds and/or an easy way to preserve your harvest; bring the whole family, visit the farm animals and check out the Little Farmers Fun Zone; ask the Expert your burning gardening questions; and enjoy some delicious organic food.
Cost: Adults $6, Student/Senior $4, 17 and under free
Info: http://www.everdale.org/node/97 or jennifer@everdale.org
April 26, 2010 7pm - 9:30 pm Build Your Own Expandable Worm Tower, FoodShare, 90 Croatia St., Toronto
Worm composting is an incredibly efficient way to convert kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich compost for your garden. But sorting out the undigested scraps can be messy and inconvenient. There's a solution! Expandable Worm Tower automatically separates food scraps from finished compost.
Cost: $10
Info and registration: emily@foodshare.net
April 28, 2010
COG Durham Chapter Meeting
Grace Pasceri, Community Relations Manager at SkyPower, will speak about ‘Renewable Energy and Sustainability’
April 28, 2010 7:30-9:30 pm (two-hour workshop)
Ottawa, ON: Organic Workshop: Organic Principles and All About Soil
- Organic Principles and All About Soil
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Learn secrets of organic gardening from master organic gardeners
- Grow healthy, organic veggies for you and your family • Learn to grow veggies in your own backyard or in a community garden
- Network with other gardeners and share experiences and tips
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Register for this individual workshop or for the whole series
Cost: Residents of Ottawa $19 per workshop,
Nonresidents $23.75 per workshop, 10% discount for seniors (65 and over).
Fees subject to change by City of Ottawa.
Registration: Sandy Hill Community Centre Telephone: 613-564-1062 (first come, first served)
Disabled persons are asked to indicate assistance needed at time of registration.
For more information, visit www.cog.ca/ottawa or call 613-244-4000. Courses sponsored by City of Ottawa and COG–Ottawa
May 4-5, 2010 10am - 6pm
High Tunnel Building Workshop, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
If you're a fruit or vegetable grower interested in extending your growing season, this workshop is a must! Spend two days learning hands-on how to construct a high tunnel. Adam Montri from Michigan State University will lead the workshop. Montri, his wife Dru and daughter Lydia own and operate Ten Hens Farm, a year-round farm in Bath, Michigan. Download a flyer to learn more, or download a registration form to sign up.
The registration deadline has been extended to April 26th.
For more information contact Susan Frame at sframe@cvtc.edu.
Cost: $75, includes morning snacks, lunch, and afternoon snacks. Space is limited; first come, first served.
Location: Chippewa Valley Technical College, Main Campus 620 W Clairemont Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
August 27-29 2010 World Organic Beekeeping Conference, Sunny Beach - Black Sea Coast Bulgaria
August 27-29 2010
The World Beekeepers Association Apimondia is organising a First World Organic Beekeeping Conference in Bulgaria, 27-29 August 2010
