PLANET IN PERIL

International Livestock Research Institute A piglet, one of countless who died of Porcine Epidemic  Diarrhea in Manitoba over the past 18 months. (A Manitoba Pork photo.)  Diseases deadly to hogs, some of which can also spread to humans, are legion. Long feared, it's now finally happened. African Swine Fever (ASF), an infectious and highly-lethal viral disease of pigs has, for the first time, reared its head in China.  Story here. RELATED; "In Hogs We Trust - Part 111"

Canada's National Observer A honeybee forages on a flower. A PinP photo. The federal government will begin phasing out the outdoor use of nicotine-based pesticides beginning in 2021, part of an effort to stop the mysterious decline of honey bee colonies around the world.  More here.

Science Magazine By Heather Dine. - NOAA Photo Library Seagrass meadows - one of the most widespread coastal habitats on Earth - are in decline. Human coastal development and poor water quality are threatening the meadows - home to a wide array of marine plants and animals. More here.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism Babies are dying in their thousands in Malawi because drugs to treat common infections no longer work. We went to investigate.  Related: In Hogs We Trust - Part 1 - Antibiotic Overuse. 

EcoWatch Glyphosate , the main ingredient in Monsanto 's Roundup herbicide, is recognized as the world's most widely used weed killer. What is not so well known is that farmers also use glyphosate on crops such as wheat, oats, edible beans and other crops right before harvest, raising concerns that the herbicide could get into food products. Story here.

The Guardian A "crop-duster" sprays a pesticide on a canola crop in Manitoba.  A PinP photo. A federal court said the US agency must prohibit the use of chlorpyrifos after seven states and DC backed the case against it. Story here. In 2,006, I told the story of  a farmer in the Swan Valley of Manitoba. He said he and his family were sickened when the same chemical, chlorpyrifos (brand name, Lorsban) drifted onto his property from a field across the road. Read the terrifying tale of the Burqharts  here.  And listen to my report on CBC Radio (with images), below.

FarmJournal’s PORK A Smithfield operation in Missouri. A Wikimedia photo.   A third lawsuit against Smithfield Foods had found the company guilty for “unreasonable nuisances they suffered from odors, flies and rumbling trucks.” A federal jury placed the fine at $473.5 million to six neighbors of pig farms. STORY HERE. Related:                                                                              "In Hogs We Trust"                                              A critique of hog industry expansion in Manitoba. Part 1 - Antibiotic Overuse. Part 11 - Government subsidies.   Part 111 - The consequences of animal diseases, worldwide. Part 1V - The environmental costs of an expanded hog industry in Manitoba. Part V - Who’s behind Manitoba’s drive to expand? Click here and find out! Is Manitoba's factory hog industry becoming its own worst enemy?

ComonDreams Sunset on the Canadian prairies. A PinP photo. One NOAA oceanographer warns that even if humanity "stopped the greenhouse gases at their current concentrations today, the atmosphere would still continue to warm for next couple decades to maybe a century." Story here.

The Battles  -  DISCUSSIONS BY SANDRA FINLEY USK refuses to disclose Right to Know symposium proceedings. More here.

ScienceNews King penguin chicks, South Georgia. by Butterly austral. It’s unclear what has happened to what was the largest of king penguin colonies in the 1980s .  Story here.

Back in 2001, Michele Merkel worked for the EPA. One of her first cases was with farmers who were suing mega-hog factory farms for polluting the community's air and water.  When the EPA sided with the giant corporations, she quit. Now Michele works at Food & Water Watch, fighting for laws and legislation that force our government and the EPA to protect your water, air and food from factory farms — as they are mandated to do. Check out Michele's TEDx Talk to hear her story and how you can fight with Michele against factory farms.