Today's News
12 March 2010
The Soil Association Land Trust:
An article on the Soil Association Land Trust project features in Green Places magazine written by Ruth Curtis, coordinator of the project. The Land Trust is a new initiative combining the energy and resources of its founding partners, the Soil Association, Land Heritage Trust and the Paget Estate, to safeguard land for organic and sustainable farming.
Green Places (March issue, pp.24-25)
Read more about the Soil Association Land Trust
Industry names discuss food crisis in new book
Stuffed – Positive Action to Prevent a Global Food Crisis is a new book that takes a political and personal look at the way that food systems influence and can be influenced by our choices. Developed in partnership with the Soil Association, Stuffed is written by former Ecologist editor Patricia Thomas and includes contributions from Eric Schlosser, Monty Don and Patrick Holden.
Organic and Natural Business (1 March, p.6)
To buy or read more about Stuffed click here
Conman jailed for selling millions of battery eggs as free range and organic
Keith Owen, former managing director of Heart of England Eggs of Bromsgrove, was jailed for three years and ordered to pay £3 million in confiscation of his assets after admitting three charges of false accounting. For an 18-month period from June 2004, over 100 million of these supposedly “premium” eggs on sale in supermarkets, such as Tesco and Sainsburys, and corner shops were from chickens reared in battery cages. It is the biggest food fraud case to have been brought by Defra and is estimated to have cost about £1 million.
Krishan Rama, spokesman for the British Retail Consortium, said: “This was an exceptional situation. At the time a shortage of free-range eggs forced suppliers to top up from other sources. Customers should be reassured that this fraud was spotted. Suppliers of eggs are routinely checked by independent assessors to ensure that the legal standards are being met.”
The Times (12 March, p.21)
EU backing for bluefin tuna trade ban sparks Japan protests
Japanese tuna brokers protested today after the EU decided to support a worldwide trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna. EU governments indicated that they would back a complete international ban on the species to allow the bluefin to recover from years of over-fishing. "This is like telling the US to stop eating beef," said one protester.
The Guardian (12 March, p. 4)
The making of modern chickens
Research published this week in Nature magazine tracks the way human husbandry has transformed the red junglefowl, the wild ancestor of our present poultry breeds, into today’s layers and broilers.
The Financial Times (12 March, p.9)
Cute animals are just as delicious as ugly ones
Antonia Senior writes about our complicated relationship with food and claims that “carnivores who worry about the suffering and slaughtering of animals are the ones who can afford it. A 1.8kg Tesco Value whole chicken costs £1.99. A 1.9kg Black Farmer organic chicken from Waitrose costs £14.72. That £1.99 chicken led a shamefully disgusting life….The £14.72 chicken tastes better — all that organic rearing makes for a yummy roast — but the decision to buy it rather than its pathetic cousin is born out of luxury.”
The Times (12 March, p.27)
Farming Today
Charlotte Smith hears about the jailing of a man for selling imported battery eggs as British, free-range and organic. And with the continuing snow in Scotland, Farming Today hears how two farmers are having very different experiences, despite living 10 minutes apart.
BBC Radio 4 listen again
And finally….A breath taking offer from the National Trust
Bottled fresh air from some of the country's favourite beauty spots is being given out to stressed city workers by the National Trust.
Daily Telegraph (12 March, p.7)
Quote of the day
“With the average age of the farmer in Britain at 58 years and rising, there is a real need to nurture the next generation and engage more people with our farming future.”
Ruth Curtis – Green Places magazine – March 2010