Cornucopia Institute - Future of Organic Food and Agriculture at Risk

November 17, 2011

http://www.cornucopia.org/2011/11/future-of-organic-food-and-agriculture-at-risk/

Cornucopia Institute

Use of Synthetic Preservatives, Genetically Mutated Ingredients and Weak Animal Welfare Standards Headed for Vote by USDA Panel

CORNUCOPIA, Wis. - November 17 - The Cornucopia Institute, one of the nation’s leading organic industry watchdogs, is urging members of the USDA's National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), in formal testimony, to vote to preserve the integrity of organic food and farming at its upcoming meeting in Savannah, Georgia.  

Some of the hot button issues on the agenda, including using artificial preservatives and genetically modified ingredients, would seem Orwellian to many longtime organic farmers and consumers.  The forecasted dustup will be debated by a USDA panel, deeply divided between corporate agribusiness representatives and organic advocates. 

Under the Bush and Obama administrations, the USDA Secretaries have been criticized for appointing a significant number of corporate representatives, whose primary interest appears to be loosening the federal organic standards, allegedly in pursuit of enhanced profits. 

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TERRA DAILY.COM - Evidence supports ban on growth promotion use of antibiotics in farming

by Staff Writers, TERRA DAILY.COM
Boston MA (SPX) Nov 18, 2011

http://www.seeddaily.com/reports/Evidence_supports_ban_on_growth_promotion_use_of_antibiotics_in_farming_999.html

In a review study, researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine zero in on the controversial, non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in food animals and fish farming as a cause of antibiotic resistance.

They report that the preponderance of evidence argues for stricter regulation of the practice. Stuart Levy, a world-renowned expert in antibiotic resistance, notes that a guiding tenet of public health, the precautionary principle, requires that steps be taken to avoid harm.

"The United States lags behind its European counterparts in establishing a ban on the use of antibiotics for growth promotion. For years it was believed that giving low-dose antibiotics via feed to promote growth in cows, swine, chickens and the use of antibiotics in fish farming had no negative consequences.

"Today, there is overwhelming evidence that non-therapeutic use of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance, even if we do not understand all the mechanisms in the genetic transmission chain," says Levy, MD, professor of molecular biology and microbiology and director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance at Tufts University School of Medicine.

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Terra Daily - Fate of bees worries Europe's parliament

by Staff Writers, Terra Daily
Brussels (AFP) Nov 15, 2011

Bothered by spiking mortality rates for bees, Europe's parliamentarians voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to urge the EU to provide more funding for the beekeeping sector.

MEPs voted 534 in favour, with 16 against and 92 abstentions, to support research and development in veterinary medecine to save the declining bee population, while also enforcing legislation on killer pesticides.

"Beekeeping is crucial for our society as pollination plays an essential role in preserving biodiversity and maintaining sustainable European agriculture and food security," said Hungarian Socialist Csaba Tabajdi, who drafted the resolution.

"Albert Einstein once said that without bees, man would live no more than four years," he added.

Better data on hives and bee losses were needed as well as funding for medicines because pharmaceutical firms were reluctant to invest in a relatively small market.

The European Commission also needed to issue legislative proposals to turn recommendations on pesticides into law, parliamentarians said.

Some 84 percent of Europe's fauna and 76 percent of agriculture depend on pollination from bees.