Tag Archives: trade

Is transatlantic free trade a lose-lose deal for food and farming?

Posted on July 11, 2014 by argylesock

The biggest free trade deal in history is being negotiated now. If finalised, this will be the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA). The non-profit Corporate Europe Observatory … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, money and trade | Tagged America, Europe, law, politics, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership | Leave a comment

Debating GM across the Pond

Posted on July 8, 2014 by argylesock

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged America, biotechnology, Europe, feed, food, genetic modification, grocery, internet, knowledge, label, law, livestock, politics, seed, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership | 5 Comments

Opening the door on talks about trade

Posted on July 8, 2014 by argylesock

The biggest free trade deal in history is being negotiated now. If finalised, this will be the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union and the United States of America. This matters to everybody because we’re all … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, fish, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged America, Europe, knowledge, law, politics, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership | 4 Comments

Syngenta withdraws application to use banned pesticide linked to bee harm

Posted on July 7, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… I’m not sure which neonic Syngenta wants to bring back here in Europe. Maybe all of the three which are temporarily banned: clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. [Edit] Soon after this story broke, I’m feeling cynical about it. Maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture | Tagged arthropod, Bayer, brassica, bumblebee, canola, clothianidin, commodity crop, conservation, crop, Europe, honeybee, hymenopteran, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, law, National Farmers Union, neonicotinoid, oilseed, pesticide, plant_dicot, politics, pollination, rapeseed, seed dressing, sowing, Syngenta, thiamethoxam, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, wild bee | Leave a comment

Owen Paterson wants Roundup Ready crops in England

Posted on July 2, 2014 by argylesock

Helen Wallace at GeneWatch UK tells us that a committee within our UK Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA, headed by Owen Paterson), hopes to see Roundup Ready crops on English farms. Those are genetically modified (GM, genetically … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food | Tagged biotechnology, corn, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, development, Europe, feed, food loss, food security, fruit, genetic modification, glyphosate, grain, grocery, herbicide, herbicide resistance, law, livestock, local food, maize, maize GA21, maize NK603, Paterson_Owen, pesticide, pesticide resistance, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, precision farming, Roundup, Roundup Ready crop, soya, supermarket, sustainable, technology, trade, vegetable, weather, yield | 6 Comments

U.S. Calls on Europe to Ease Limits on Gene-Altered Food

Posted on June 25, 2014 by argylesock

James Kanter at the New York Times tells us about negotiations towards the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Genetic modification (GM, genetic engineering) is a big sticking point, as we knew it would be. ‘There can’t be a trade … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food | Tagged America, biotechnology, Europe, feed, food, genetic modification, grocery, law, livestock, politics, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership | Leave a comment

Cocoa prices are surging, but cocoa farmers are still making a pittance

Posted on June 24, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… Chocolate tastes so good, but it’s not so sweet for the smallholders who grow it. You can scroll down for info about other tropical commodity crops.

Posted in agriculture, money and trade | Tagged cacao, cash crop, coffee, commodity crop, farmer, palm oil, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, rubber, shrub, smallholder, sugar cane, trade, tree | Leave a comment

Biofortified GM bananas

Posted on June 22, 2014 by argylesock

James Dale is a scientist at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT, Australia). His lab has developed a genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) banana (Musa × paradisiaca) rich in ‘pro-vitamin A’. Here’s the QUT report. This is the ‘super banana’ … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, America, Asia, banana, banana Cavendish, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, biodiversity, biofortification, biotechnology, breeding, carotenoid, child, conservation, cotton, crop diversity, crop variety, development, East African cooking banana, food security, food sovereignty, fruit, fruit variety, gene, gene gun, genetic modification, iron, land grab, local variety, marker assisted backcrossing, micronutrient, Monsanto, nutrition, patent, plantain, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, poverty, pro-vitamin A, Provit Banana, research, rice, Scuba rice, seed, soya, staple food, super banana, tissue culture, trade, Vitamin A | 2 Comments

Comparison of agriculture in North America and Europe raises questions about the value of GM

Posted on June 22, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on AgScience:
Researchers led by Canterbury University Professor Jack Heinemann have announced further findings that challenge the benefits of genetic modification. This time their analysis deals with agricultural productivity. They report finding (see here) that the biotechnologies used…

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer | Tagged America, Asia, biotechnology, crop, development, Europe, food security, genetic modification, law, pesticide, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, research, staple food, trade, Walport_Mark, yield | 3 Comments

Green light for GM?

Posted on June 21, 2014 by argylesock

Steve Connor at the Independent told us, three months ago, of advice to our UK Government about genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) crops. Our Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Prof Sir Mark Walport, led a team advising that Britain, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, biotechnology, breeding, crop, development, Europe, farmer, food security, genetic modification, law, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, population, research, selective breeding, smallholder, sustainable, trade, Walport_Mark | 3 Comments