Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
News Release Date: 3 August 2007
Following an investigation of suspected vesicular disease by Animal Health on a holding near Guildford in Surrey, United Kingdom, laboratory results have this evening indicated that the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus is present in samples from cattle on the premises. Read the rest of this entry »
BBC News
Simon Cox
April 26, 2007
Sales of organic produce are booming on the back of alleged benefits to health and the environment, as well as claims of higher standards of animal welfare. But are we being misled by “feel good” claims that don’t stand up to scientific scrutiny? Read what Mr. Cox has to say about the situation in the United Kingdom in this most informative BBC Report.
Terry Etherton
The battle for public perception about “biotechnology in the barnyard” and animal agriculture is an interesting illustration of the use of “word play” or “verbal engineering” by anti-biotech activist groups. The intent? To misinform and scare consumers about biotechnology, science and our food production systems.
These “word sequences” are carefully engineered. The internet is awash in them!
Given the proliferation of junk science rhetoric on the internet, it seems like there is big business in scaring consumers. Read the rest of this entry »
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has conducted a review that comprehensively compares organic and conventional foods with respect to pesticide residues, nutritional components, naturally occurring toxins, and microbiological safety. A synopsis (copied with Permission) was published in the October issue (Volume 60:44, 2006) of Food Technology. The full-text of the peer-reviewed Science Status Summary was published in the Journal of Food Science (Volume 71:R117-R124, 2006). Read the rest of this entry »
Terry Etherton
According to an article published in FoodNaviator.com, Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, one of the most visible anti-biotechnology ice cream makers in the United States, has moved closer to gaining approval in Europe to use an ice-structuring protein (ISP) isolated from genetically modified yeast. Read the rest of this entry »
In this podcast, Dr. Terry Etherton and Dr. Phil Senger, discuss the spirit of teaching - within the educational community as well as within the public sphere.
This podcast follows a seminar given by Dr. Senger on April 12, 2007. A link to a video of this seminar will be posted when it is available.
Terry Etherton
This blog is different from those previously posted on my Blog.
The first part of this Blog is a Letter to the Editor from Mr. Douglas Van Beek, a progressive dairy producer in California. The letter expresses his concern about the decision made by California Dairies, Inc. (CDI) to begin a ban on rbST. As readers of my Blogs appreciate, there is compelling and overwhelming science-based evidence that the use of rbST is safe, and milk from cows supplemented with rbST is the same as rbST-free or organic milk with respect to nutrient content, wholesomeness and the presence of many protein and steroid hormones that are naturally present in milk.After the Letter to the Editor from Mr. Van Beek is the article that was published in The Fresno Bee. Read the rest of this entry »
Terry Etherton
I am shocked by the factors that drive agriculture policymaking at every level today. Decision makers in the public and private sectors are increasingly influenced by a cohort of activist anti-animal ag advocacy groups whose credibility should at best be questioned and at worst be dismissed absolutely. The example I discussed previously of “Starbucks” being pushed by Food & Water Watch and Organic Consumers Association to stop buying milk containing rbST is a good case study of this. Read the rest of this entry »
By Cahal Milmo
The Independent
Published: 19 February 2007
Organic food may be no better for the environment than conventional produce and in some cases is contributing more to global warming than intensive agriculture, according to a government report. Read the full article at The Independent.
Terry Etherton
Misinformation abounds in the public discussion about the need for and the importance of agricultural biotechnologies. Much of this has been propagated by anti-biotech activist groups in an attempt to sway public opinion in order to create an anti-biotechnology viewpoint. One approach used to scare consumers has been marketing campaigns that denounce hormones like rbST in milk as being dangerous. Perceptions get twisted. Instead of being concerned about the tiger, some jump at stripes. A treacherous path forward. Read the rest of this entry »
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