Some articles on pesticides and related topics from the last two weeks. Feel free to recommend more articles by selecting “Recommend a page or site” above or access a more comprehensive list of articles by using the Delicious cloud in the right-hand column.

• Climate map shows human impact (BBC)
• Climate change will devastate Africa, top UK scientist warns (Guardian)
• Low-carbon farms can raise food output, food agency says (STV News)
• Developed countries face threat of soaring prices and food shortages (Guardian)
• Developing Countries Paying More For Food, WFP Executive Director Says (Medical News Today)
• Brussels’ plans to slash CAP budget revealed (Farmers Guardian)
• Scientists urge respect on advice (BBC)
• UF research examines how common pesticide mixes may affect bee die-offs (University of Florida News)
• Pesticides non a serious threat to bees (Farmers Guardian)
• Can Bumble Bees Fill Pollination Void? (Innovations Report)
• 10 herbal teas found to contain pesticides (United Press International)
• Discovery of Pesticide Amitraz in Turkish Pears: EU Member States to Increase Controls on Imports(FlexNews)
• Depression link to processed food (BBC)

Please find below some articles on pesticides and related topics from the last two weeks. Do feel free to recommend more articles by selecting “Recommend a page or site” above or access a more comprehensive list of articles by using the Delicious cloud in the right-hand colmumn.

• So Much Food. So Much Hunger (The New York Times)
• Leading scientists call for a new approach to food security (Environmental Expert)
• World will need 70 percent more food in 2050: FAO (AFP)
• FSA attacks French organics study (The Ecologist)
• New Computing Tool Could Lead To Better Crops And Pesticides (ScienceDaily)
• Commission to name ‘chief scientific advisor’ (Euractiv)
• Commission says farmers need help to cut carbon (Euractiv)
• Climate change hails new era for agriculture (Farmers Guardian)
• Bee deaths set apiculture congress abuzz (AFP)
• Urban beekeeping in UK helps combat decline (AFP)

The international news channel France 24 recently features two insightful debates in its program ‘Face-off’.

The first one, entitled ‘Organic Food: not so wholesome?’, picks up on an ongoing furore around the now famous Food Standards Agency (FSA) report on organic (see our last two posts). The debate includes some interesting comments by Olivier Andrault from the Consumer Association UFC-Que Choisir and Diego Garcia from L’Agence Bio.

The second debate - ‘Toxic algae: the new silent killer?’ – features a conversation with Antoine Foucher, Campaign Director at Greenpeace International, and Jean-Charles Bocquet, General Manager at the French Crop Protection Association, on toxic algae and beach pollution.

Highly recommended!

The debate around organic has boiled up over the week after the release of the FSA’s study (see our last post below.) Here are some articles published this week on the topic. Do feel free to comment or recommend other news and articles.

Press

• Argument is about capitalism, not food (The Guardian)
• It’s wrong to believe that nature is always best (The Guardian)
• Organic food debate boils over (The Independent)
• BBC snubs organic food as it teaches us how to eat well (The Daily Express)
• Les défenseurs du bio rapellent son role écologique (Le Monde)
• Misleading claims on the credentials of food marketed as organic (The Daily Telegraph)
• Organics sector hits back in nutrition row (Freshinfo)
• Organic food contains toxic natural pesticides (The Times)

Blogs

• UK FSA’s organic study confusing and inconclusive? (The Green Room blog)
• Slate: Organic vs. Conventional? Too Complex… (Organic Nation)
• Organic food has no health or nutrition benefits, FSA study finds (VitalRead)
• Study Finds Organic Foods Not More Nutritous (Pays to Live Green)
• Nature’s Path CEO Responds to Organic Food Study Results (DailyBlender)
• Is There a Change Afoot in How Organics Are Marketed? (GreenBiz)

An independent review published by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) concludes that there are no differences in nutrition content or other health benefits between food produced using organic methods and that grown using scientific agriculture (read the FSA’s new release here). It will come as no surprise to anyone that the report has sparked a heated debate in the press and the blogosphere! Please find below a small selection of press articles and blog posts from across the divide discussing the report. Do feel free to comment or to recommend further articles by clicking on the tab above.

Press
Organic food is not healthier, says FSA (The Guardian)
Don’t write off organic food (The Daily Telegraph)
Organic food ‘no healthier than conventional’ (The Independent)
Organic has no health benefits (BBC)
Les bénéfices du «bio» en question (Le Figaro)
Il biologico? Fa bene solo a chi lo produce (La Stampa)

Blogs
Organic Versus Conventional Food: UK Report Flawed (Huffington Post)
News Report: Organic food no healthier, but is that all that matters… (Daily Cup of Yoga)
Organic Isn’t Healthier, But People Will Keep Buying (Humblement)
Organic Food Trash? Or Just Trashing Organic Food? (Unbossed)
Organic Versus Conventional Food: UK Report Flawed (Civil Eats)
Will you still shop organic after the publication of the FSA findings? (Ooffoo)
Joanna Blythman: Please Read the Data Appendices About Organic Food Before Conjuring ‘Cancerous Conspiracies’: Part 1 (Holford Watch)
Organic no better says FSA (Grow organic food)

Please find below some recent articles on pesticides and related topics. Do feel free to recommend more articles by selecting “Recommend a page or site” above or access a more comprehensive list of articles by using the Delicious cloud in the right-hand colmumn.

• The Three A’s of Food Security (Sciencebase blog)
• Differing patterns in food price falls (BBC)
• French village goes organic one day a week (3News)
• EU survey reveals poor state of biodiversity (Euractiv)
• EU farm subsidies ‘inconsistent’ with global food security (Euractiv)
• Sweden introduces climate labelling for food (Euractiv)
• World food prices: Whatever happened to the food crisis? (The Economist)
• Agriculture Demand Outpacing Honeybee Increase, Researchers Say (Bloomberg)
• EFSA publishes report on pesticide residues in food (Food Production Daily)
• Forum on the Future of Agriculture goes on the road… (Blogactiv)

Last month, researchers at the University of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a study that is the first to identify a single cause of the colony collapse disorder that has been killing off bees across the world. Please find below a selection of articles and blog posts on the matter published since then:

• DNA clue to honey bee deaths (BBC)
• Cause of Colony Collapse Disorder Identified? (The Daily Green)
• Scientists discover virus that could explain drop in bee population

(The Times)

• Bee genome gives killer clue to colony collapse disorder (New Scientist)
• Genome Study May Have Solved Bee Colony Collapse Mystery (SustainableBusiness.com)
• Pesticides still suspect for bee problems (Green Chemicals)
• Missing Bees? More Reasons Why and How to Help (Greening Families)
• Disappearing bees are lost in translation

(Not Exactly Rocket Science)

• Bee Genome Study Reveals Cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (Environment News Service)