Reading Time: 4 minutes Lois Schultz of Wetaskiwin won top honours in the 2017 Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture Competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto last month. Here is her prizewinning speech. Seven hundred and fifty million is a huge number. But it seems even more gigantic when you discover that it represents the number of […] Read more
We have the ability to do something about food waste
Stop using antibiotics in healthy animals, WHO urges farmers
London | Reuters – The World Health Organization urged farmers on Tuesday to stop using antibiotics to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals because the practice fuels dangerous drug-resistant superbug infections in people. Describing a lack of effective antibiotics for humans as “a security threat” on a par with “a sudden and deadly […] Read more
EU delays decision on glyphosate
Brussels | Reuters — EU countries failed on Wednesday to vote on a licence extension for glyphosate, delaying again a decision on the widely used herbicide that critics say could cause cancer. The European Commission said in a statement the relevant committee did not hold a vote at a meeting and that it would announce […] Read more
In glyphosate review, WHO cancer agency edited out ‘non-carcinogenic’ findings
London | Reuters — The World Health Organization’s cancer agency dismissed and edited findings from a draft of its review of glyphosate herbicide that were at odds with its final conclusion that the chemical probably causes cancer. Documents seen by Reuters show how a draft of a key section of the International Agency for Research […] Read more
Where’s the beef? New food guide puts focus on ‘proteins’
Meat is being ‘merged’ with plant-based sources of protein in the revamp of Canada’s Food Guide
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s Food Guide is getting revamped for the first time in 10 years — and there’s lots of speculation, especially on social media, about whether meat is being given a thumbs down. “It’s not as harsh as that, really,” said Joyce Parslow, director of consumer relations with Canada Beef. One of the guiding principles of […] Read more
WHO says bird flu outbreaks raise alarm
London | Reuters — The risk of sustained human-to-human transmission of H7N9 avian flu in China is low, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, but a surge in human cases there is worrying and requires constant monitoring. Outbreaks of H5 bird flu strains in poultry and wild birds across Europe, Africa and Asia are […] Read more
Tim’s, Burger King to cut some antibiotics from chicken supply
The parent of fast-food chains Tim Hortons and Burger King plans to end the use of certain medically important antibiotics in its Canadian chicken supply chain in 2018. Restaurant Brands International (RBI) in late December announced the new policy on its website, saying it “will work with our supply chain partners to support and implement […] Read more
Investor group launches campaign to curb antibiotic use in food
Reuters — Fifty-four large investors managing one trillion pounds (C$1.84 trillion) in assets have launched a campaign to curb the use of antibiotics in the meat and poultry used by 10 large U.S. and British restaurant groups. McDonalds and JD Wetherspoon were among those to receive a March 15 letter from institutions including Aviva Investors […] Read more
Accentuate the positive in modern farming
FarmTech: Croplife CEO says farmers ‘will never win’ the debate about farming practices if their message is all about science
Reading Time: 2 minutes Watch your language. That’s the advice of Ted Menzies for dealing with people who are fearful of modern farming practices. “We all face this challenge, it’s very complicated to explain,” said the president and CEO of CropLife Canada, an organization which represents the plant biotech sector. “We lead a very scientific life on the farm, […] Read more
EU food safety watchdog hits back in glyphosate safety row
Brussels | Reuters –– The head of Europe’s food safety watchdog has written to a group of nearly 100 senior scientists strongly rejecting their criticisms in a row about the safety of glyphosate. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which advises European Union policymakers, issued an opinion in November that glyphosate is unlikely to cause […] Read more