Dr István Nagy, current EU Council President for Agriculture and Fisheries, met today with representatives of a business initiative to submit an open letter, "Food Industry for Freedom of Choice". A total of 376 businesses from the food industry in 16 EU Member States have signed the letter. Among them are renowned industry giants as the REWE Group, the third largest food retailer in the EU; the leading retailer in Austria, SPAR Austria; Europe's largest drugstore chain dm-drogerie markt; and the world's largest organic supermarket chain Biocoop. Across Europe, companies see their entrepreneurial freedom threatened by the EU Commission's plans to deregulate so-called new genomic techniques (NGTs) or new GM techniques. They are therefore appealing to the EU Agriculture Council to stand up for transparency, freedom of choice, and fair competitive conditions along the entire value chain. GMWatch

 

 

A piercing investigative article in the New York Times by journalist Greg Donahue reveals the abandonment of a group of brain disease patients in an area of Canada with forestry management for paper products, agriculture, and large amounts of pesticide use, including glyphosate. It illustrates the tension in the relationship between government authorities, regulated industries, and neurologist (physician) on the front lines. The article details the manner in which health officials appeared to manipulate their own investigation of a disease cluster to make it less disruptive to the economy of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Beyond Pesticides

 

We hope you’ve found this newsletter interesting. Please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you!