News & Views

WTO Rules Against EU in GMO dispute

On February 8th, according to the Bloomberg news agency, the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that it will soon release a report condemning the European Union's ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their fields and food products. This ruling comes in spite of recent polls showing that over half of European citizens consider GMOs to be a heath risk. The WTO panel ruled that various EU countries—Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Luxembourg—had broken international trade rules by imposing national bans on marketing and growing specific GMOs.

According to a report by Reuters news agency on the following day, some of those countries reacted strongly to the WTO ruling: reflecting the will of consumers, they vowed to defend their legal right to block EU-approved products if deemed necessary. EU law dictates that such bans must be scientifically justified, which many now say is the case as more evidence stacks up against the safety of GMOs in the food supply. EU representatives are also quick to point out that 132 countries have signed the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, an international treaty attached to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which backs the European nations' cautious approach to adopting GMOs.

It is unclear how the EU ban will play out, as the ruling (condemning the ban) is open to appeal by the EU. Furthermore, the protest by the U.S., Canada, and Argentina that resulted in the ruling was based on policies in place in 2003, which have since been relaxed by the EU.

2005 marked the billionth acre of biotech crops planted worldwide, with over 200 million acres under cultivation in 21 countries. The U.S, where over 70% of all processed food products contain at least one genetically modified ingredient, counted for over half of worldwide production.

Read the Bloomberg article here.

And then read the Reuter's article from the following day.

OFRF Receives Largest Contribution in its History

The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has announced the receipt of $220,000 from Newman's Own Organics and Paul Newman Charitable Giving at the end of December. It was the largest single contribution OFRF has received in its fifteen year history. The funds will broadly support all aspects of OFRF's work.

Since 1990, the farmer-led OFRF Board of Directors has awarded more than 200 grants totaling over $1.5 million in support of organic farming research and education projects. The Foundation's grant-making emphasizes grower-researcher collaboration; studies conducted on working organic farms and certified organic research land; and the sharing of project results with other farmers and researchers to advance the state of the art of organic farming systems. OFRF grants also support educational projects to improve farmer access to science-based and field-validated organic farming information and practices.

To learn more about what OFRF does, visit them online at http://www.ofrf.org/.

Ecovillage at Ithaca to Host Permaculture Fundamentals Workshop

The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute is scheduled to conduct a Permaculture Fundamentals Workshop at Ecovillage at Ithaca from March 31st – April 2nd, 2006. The three-day class will provide an overview of the ethics, principles, and techniques of permaculture with a focus on practical application of conscious design strategies for sustainable living. Topics include: Site assessment, Applied Ethics and Principles, Observation, and Design in Practice. Workshop completion earns credit—and is a prerequisite—for a permaculture design certificate. Instructors for the course will be Stephen Gabriel and Karryn Olson-Ramanujan.

For more information: http://www.flpci.org or call 607-319-0737.

Beekeeping Certificate Program to be held at Ecoversity in Santa Fe, NM

Longtime beekeeper and teacher Les Crowder will conduct a series of classes at Ecoversity to train prospective beekeepers on natural beekeeping as a livelihood as well as a hobby. Using the hives at EcoVersity as a living laboratory, this course will involve hands-on instruction and students will have extensive opportunities to become comfortable with, and knowledgeable about, handling bees. Topics including building hives, collecting swarms, making candles, and seasonal beekeeping maintenance will be incorporated into this certificate course. Les Crowder is known for his calm and peaceful relationship with bees and maintains over 100 top bar hives without chemicals. Les and his wife Beth make a livelihood working with honey, beeswax, propolis, bee pollen and royal jelly.

For more information, visit www.ecoversity.org or call 505-424-9797.

13th Annual Organic Growers School to be held March 11, in Flat Rock, NC

The Organic Growers School is a day of workshops for beginning farmers to advanced commercial growers. Now in its 13th year, the Organic Growers School seeks to share practical, region-appropriate information at an affordable price. With nearly 1,000 participants from ten different states, this is the largest conference of its type in the region. Over seventy classes and hands-on workshops will be offered, as well as a seed exchange and a trade show with informational and educational booths. There will also be a Children's Program for children ages 7–12. Register online, contact Karen@organicgrowersschool.org or call (828)369-2375 for more information.