Friday, September 14, 2012

Pork Council Must Focus More on Farmers' Needs


14/04/2012 1:00 AM |     Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION

Maple Leaf and government policy is to blame for the continued loss of hog producers and a risk to “thousands of jobs” at the Brandon slaughter plant.

Manitoba Pork Council general manager Andrew Dickson would have us believe that the province-wide hog production ban and new manure treatment regulations are the culprits.
Does Dickson forget that the loss of most independent hog farmers started when the Maple Leaf, Hy-Tek and Puratone corporations set up their pyramid scheme-like operations and the conservative Filmon government removed single-desk marketing protection in the late 1990s? Well before a moratorium and phosphorus regulation was put in place.
Further details here.

Himalayan Glaciers Retreating in Some Regions but Not Others

Planetsave
The consequences for the Himalayan water supply depend heavily on the region’s thousands of glaciers… Full story here.

Photo courtesy of MailOnline

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Pork Industry's Muddy Image

Winnipeg Free Press - Laura Rance

Austin tragedy didn't help. Full story here.


Please also read:
Pork Council Must Focus More on Farmers' Needs 

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Parents Need to Act Against Climate Change for Their Kids’ Sake

by Mark Hertsgaard - The Daily Beast

Droughts, heat waves, with the evidence mounting of major climate change, why aren’t parents taking action to protect their children from its dire effects? Mark Hertsgaard calls for parents to act just like they would if a train was heading toward their children. Full story here.

Damage from a wicked plow wind which struck a wide area of western Manitoba in July. PLT photos

Why Organic?

Rodale's - A note from our Executive Director   

The news has been flooded with all sorts of noise about the Stanford meta-analysis “Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?” Although both the researchers themselves and the media made it sound as if conventional came out on top, the numbers clearly made the case for organic. Here is what we saw when we read the report:


PLT photo 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Where Cows Are Happy and Food Is Healthy

New York Times
Don’t laugh, but maybe milk is tastier and healthier if it comes from a cow with a name. Full story here.
PLT photo

Friday, September 7, 2012

Weathergirl Goes Rogue

In Defence of Science

Schindler's Pissed - Alternatives Journal - Canada's Environment Magazine. 

Freshwater science pioneer David Schindler fires back about tar sands development, closing the Experimental Lakes Area, and why researchers should speak out. Full story here.

Also in this issue, "Field of Nightmares," exposing the dark side of Roundup. 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Ottawa to Unveil Weakened Emissions Rules for Coal-Fired Power

Globe and Mail
After a year of tough negotiations with companies and premiers that tested Ottawa’s resolve to fight climate change, Environment Minister Peter Kent is finally ready to present the final version of regulations to curtail greenhouse gas emissions from the coal-fired electricity sector. Full story here.

Field of Nightmares

Ottawa continues to embrace the widespread use of Roundup on Canadian farms by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence.
by Larry Powell
A crop-duster sprays a GMO crop in western MB. A PinP photo.

In its quest to dominate the planet's agricultural biotechnology sector, Monsanto's business model has produced significant collateral damage.

Generations of farming families in South America, India and other robustly developing regions have been devastated by the US-based multinational’s product line, namely its flagship herbicide Roundup and the patented seeds that go with it. 

In the 1970s, the company began genetically modifying canola, and they’ve since created their own patented versions of soybeans, corn, cotton and a range of other crops. The havoc wreaked by Monsanto’s remarkable growth in the interim includes widespread claims of pollution, illegal activity and damage to health and livelihoods, as well as a systematic effort to crush detractors and monopolize new markets with its financial heft.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Staples Canada Picks up Straw-Based Paper

Manitoba Co-operator

Step Forward Paper is made with 80 per cent straw

Manitoba farmers could see a lucrative new market for straw emerge, as the province moves closer to becoming the site of North America's first pulp and paper mill using straw. Full story here.

Health Canada probes claim that government officials helped pesticide company overturn a ban

CANADA'S                                                                                                                                ...