It was a good day for Bayer/Monsanto. The chemical company’s weedkiller glyphosate and its neonicotinoid insecticides are set for reapproval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA reapproval of human carcinogens and chemicals contributing to the pollinator crisis is disappointing for health and environmental advocates, but not surprising to those watchdogging the agency during the current administration. Food manufacturers can put GMO labels on their products in 2020. Large manufacturers need to disclose detectable bioengineered ingredients by 2022, and attorneys and analysts think many will wait until the last minute. A Midwestern farmers’ network is trying to save our soils, one field at a time. Though research points to an increase in organic farming in the United States in recent years, only about 1 percent of total American cropland is currently certified organic. This means that in 2011 and 2012, the most recent years for which the EPA data, U.S. farmers applied more than 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides to their crops. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue wants to gut a program that benefits poor people. He believes farmworkers are overpaid.
Food manufacturers can put GMO labels on their products in 2020. Will they?
Large manufacturers need to disclose detectable bioengineered ingredients by 2022, and attorneys and analysts think many will wait until the last minute.
https://www.fooddive.com/news/food-manufacturers-can-put-gmo-labels-on-their-products-in-2020-will-they/570505/?fbclid=IwAR1XSeenfRF8yy5YbgScIUg5caYjE9456JN07S-B6Nl4CyhcJIUKUL99c9I
EPA Set to Reapprove Cancer-Causing Glyphosate and Bee-Toxic Neonicotinoids
It was a good day for Bayer/Monsanto. The chemical company’s weed killer glyphosate and its neonicotinoid insecticides are set for reapproval by the U,S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA reapproval of human carcinogens and chemicals contributing to the pollinator crisis is disappointing for health and environmental advocates, but not surprising to those watchdogging the agency during the current administration.
https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2020/02/epa-set-to-reapprove-cancer-causing-glyphosate-and-bee-toxic-neonicotinoids/?fbclid=IwAR0u60of61i_ixKGTxu_olwRpx5nly1z5RTGFJXeqokvYoAGpwOByc_s2bU
A Big Idea
A Midwestern farmers’ network is trying to save our soils, one field at a time.
https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/magazine/entry/a-big-idea?fbclid=IwAR2NOurMfnfYZI6JPInOFS-pEo5vBT6vuDbOHoUZVKcDM7ATTckWPfeyj2I
Trump’s USDA Chief Thinks Farm Workers Are Overpaid
US Department of Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue wants to gut a program that benefits poor people. He believes farm workers are overpaid. The Trump Administration finds itself in a tight corner on the topic of farm labor, a task handled by a largely foreign-born workforce. On the one hand, the president has made good on campaign promises to make life generally miserable for immigrants; and he employs a white nationalist on his senior advisory staff. On the other, the agriculture industry is experiencing labor shortages that are intensified by the immigration crackdown.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/01/trumps-usda-chief-thinks-farm-workers-are-overpaid/?fbclid=IwAR32owiZlYpMPpMbprgNkpDn94UcCq0eoxN8ImWaMus_W9aTMuMAMl-mdhQ
Tumultuous Weeks for Organics Retailers
The past few weeks have been tumultuous for the grocery industry – and specifically for the organic grocery industry. Earth Fare announced February 3rd that they will be closing and liquidating all 50 stores, unable to restructure their existing debt. This follows similar closure announcements from Kroger-backed Lucky’s Market and New York-based Fairway Market. Less store space means less in-store visibility of products, and opportunities to compete in massive organic foods sales market that hit $52.5 billion in sales in 2019.
https://blog.thirdchannel.com/mind-the-store/closing-of-earth-fare-and-more?utm_campaign=Outreach&utm_content=115766690&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-3235242&fbclid=IwAR2tx5768nHEYxs1tF6z0JIy2y9YahFcIZS1MKbWk7iVYgSBkNFHj69ofuI
