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Battle for the future of Parma ham - a tale of corporate spin & animal suffering.

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THE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM A PEXALS photo. How "Parma" ham became a battleground for the future of Italian food . Story here.

Vancouver Island rainforest stands are becoming as rare as white rhinos

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The Province Part of the remaining stand of rainforest on Vancouver Island. Photo by Jason Holinger. For millennia, Vancouver Island was mostly covered by spectacular, globally rare ancient rainforest. Many trees were 1,000 years old or older. Indigenous peoples co-existed with the rainforest using many of its plants and animals without destroying it. Shortly after the arrival of Europeans, logging began in earnest. In less than 100 years, the majority of the ancient trees have been logged. Story here.

Conflicts Force Up Global Hunger Levels

IPS Interpress Service UN-IPS: Largely driven by conflict, the number of hungry people has dramatically increased around the world, reversing decades of progress, according to a new report. Story here.

"In Hogs We Trust." Part IV The environmental costs of intensive livestock operations.

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Last October, just before the provincial government relaxed regulations to allow for many more hogs to be produced in this province, George Matheson, Chair of the industry group, “Manitoba Pork,”  testified  before a legislative committee.  In an astonishing display of corporate hype, Matheson seemed to think he could, with a single statement, obliterate years of solid scientific research, conducted in his own province. “Hog manure is not getting into our rivers and lakes,” he declared. “The vast majority…about 85 per cent, is injected into the soil of farmland or immediately incorporated into the soil. This method of application essentially stops manure from running off the land. I cannot overemphasize this point. This means manure does not get into rivers and lakes. In fact, it is illegal for manure to leave a field.”    In her long career with the University of Winnipeg’s biology department,  Dr. Eva Pip  (below) has come to a dramatically different conclusion. Af

Waterbirds affected by low water, high salt levels in lakes

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ScienceDaily A recent study shows food sources for migratory birds decline with low water levels and high salt content in lakes. Story here. The American avocet.  Photo credit - US Fish & Wildlife.

Climate change promotes the spread of mosquito and tick-borne viruses

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ScienceDaily The  mosquito that carries the Zeka virus. Scientists find that global warming has allowed disease-bearing insects to proliferate, increasing exposure to viral infections. Story here.

A smallholder farmer describes her thriving pig+crop farm in Africa

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ILRI - The International Livestock Research Institute Photo by ILRI Emma Naluyima  is a smallholder farmer and private veterinarian in Uganda who has integrated crop growing and livestock raising to build a thriving, profitable and environmentally friendly farm enterprise for her and her family. More here.

Historical lead exposure may be linked to 256,000 premature deaths from cardiovascular disease in adults in the USA each year

THE LANCET New estimates suggest that 256,000 premature deaths from cardiovascular disease - including 185,000 deaths from ischemic heart disease - in the USA may be linked to historical lead exposure in middle-aged and older adults (people currently aged 44 years or over). This according to an observational study following 14,300 people for almost 20 years, published in  The Lancet Public Health  journal. More here.

Increasing tree mortality in a warming world

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ScienceDaily Source:: Tropical Trees. Author: Paul Hamilton. Trees in the tropics, especially important for the planet, face increasing threats.    More here.

Invasive Group A strep cases rising in Canada, But the reason is a medical mystery

CBC News A year after losing both legs and an arm, a Winnipeg mom has no idea why infection struck. More here. RELATED?  Could the Manitoba government’s return to a deregulated hog industry actually contribute to a world health crisIs?

Big Step Forward on Agricultural Pesticides in Quebec, Canada.

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Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. A "crop-duster" in Manitoba. PinP photo. The Government of Quebec has imposed a ban on five pesticides that are commonly used in the agricultural sector – three neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics), atrazine and chlorpyrifos. More here.