Agriculture in the national news - February 12

‘Farming must embrace GM technology to fight 21st-century food crisis’
Farming must fully embrace genetically modified (GM) crops to meet the dual challenges of population growth and global warming, according to Hillary Clinton’s chief scientist.

Nina Fedoroff, who advises the US Secretary of State on science and technology, heads a group of senior researchers who call today for a “radical rethink” of farm practice to meet 21st-century demand for food.

The Times
http://tinyurl.com/yataqol

Unionfurious after red meat cancer link errors discovered
Leading organisations representing the farming industry are furious after learning that a review which revealed errors in a report linking red meat and cancer has not been shared with policymakers.

The National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales has joined the National Sheep Association (NSA) and the livestock levy board English Beef and Lamb Exports in voicing concerns over flawed figures in a report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

The Herald
http://tinyurl.com/ybkl6uw

Big cities and global farming now driving deforestation, study finds
The drivers of tropical deforestation have shifted in the early 21st century to hinge on growth of cities and the globalised agricultural trade, a new large-scale study concludes.

The observations starkly reverse assumptions by some scientists that fast-growing urbanization and the efficiencies of global trade might eventually slow or reverse tropical deforestation.

The Guardian
http://tinyurl.com/ydxd5vq

I love my pigs, but I also love roast pork
Britain has a new hero: Andrea Charman, who has been harassed into resigning as the head teacher of Lydd primary school in Kent.

Mrs Charman has been the victim, said her MP, Michael Howard, of a relentless “campaign of vituperation [which] was started on the internet, and in particular on Facebook… which included threats of violence”.

Daily Telegraph
http://tinyurl.com/ygy9cb7

£745m for flood protection scheme
Plans to spend £745 million in the coming year on protecting thousands of extra homes from coastal and river flooding, including some in London, have been outlined by the Environment Agency.

The money from the Environment Department (Defra), Welsh Assembly Government, local authorities and the EU will go on building new and maintaining existing defences, developing flood forecasting methods and raising public awareness of the risks of flooding.

UKPA
http://tinyurl.com/ycj4mhe

Vet forbids musican from recording pig’s slaughter
A veterinarian has ruined Matthew Herbert’s plan to document the sounds of a pig’s life, from birth to post-mortem supper party.

The celebrated electronic musician has been forced to cancel a “crucial” portion of his One Pig project, after a vet forbade Herbert from recording the animal’s slaughter.

The Guardian
http://tinyurl.com/y8qku5v

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