Allison Squires grows organic grains like wheat, lentils and flax on her farm, but she says she is "supremely disappointed" in Canada's newly clarified seed guidelines that she says puts her sector at risk. The updated seed rules now allow seeds created through gene editing that don't [GMW: are claimed not to – see this] contain foreign DNA or altered to make them pesticide tolerant. These seeds will be allowed without safety assessment by the government, as they are already considered safe. Canada also announced an industry-managed database — the Seeds Canada Canadian Variety Transparency Database — to make clear which seeds are and are not organic. But Squires and other organic farmers say mandatory reporting is needed. And with no labelling requirements, consumers won't know which foods use gene-edited ingredients. That, they say, could jeopardise the $9-billion organic sector, which must ensure produce is not from GM seeds — in order to use the organic label. Nobody is calling for a ban, just a way to opt out, explained Squires. "All we're asking for is a mandatory traceability system that provides myself and my fellow organic farmers with the assurances that we need to make sure that the seed that we're buying is free from genetic engineering. So all we're asking for is the choice to farm organically." CBC News

 

 

A large team of ornithologists, zoologists, biologists and ecologists from across Europe and the UK has found that the chief cause of declining bird populations in Europe and the UK is the use of pesticides and herbicides by farmers. In their study, the group examined the effects of pesticides and herbicides on bird populations in a variety of locations. The work involved studying data from multiple sources, including reports by citizen scientists, in 28 countries in Europe and the UK over the past four decades. They not only confirmed massive drops in population numbers for most bird species, but also discovered the main culprit: Use of pesticides and herbicides by farmers. These chemicals can harm birds both directly and indirectly, causing medical problems or birth defects and killing off the insects they feed on. Phys.org

 

 

Sheep can help fight the spread of an invasive and highly toxic plant, according to results of a four-year project in Aberdeenshire. Giant hogweed grows to heights of 5m (16ft) and the sap in its leaves and stems can cause severe skin burns. It is usually controlled by spraying it with herbicides or by removing flowering heads to prevent the spread of tens of thousands of seeds. But researchers have found repeated grazing by sheep can kill the plant. The "woolly warriors" were unaffected by the toxic sap. BBC News

 

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