AERIAL PHOTOS ARE NEW WEAPON IN ORGANIC CIVIL WAR . . . STOP THE WINTER FISHERY, SAYS BYRNE . . . MAKING A PIG’S EAR OF FOOD SAFETY . . . GRSB: WHY PRINCIPLES, CRITERIA NEEDED FOR SUSTAINABILITY  . . . OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST...

AERIAL PHOTOS ARE NEW WEAPON IN ORGANIC CIVIL WAR
Source: NPR
If you look at it one way, these are the best of times for organic egg and milk producers. They can barely keep up with demand. Prices for their products are high. Profits are rolling in. Operations are expanding. But that expansion is provoking suspicion, name-calling, and even clandestine investigations within the organic “community” because some organic advocates believe that some of these megafarms are not truly organic. (read more)

STOP THE WINTER FISHERY, SAYS BYRNE
Source: Northern Pen
As northern shrimp stocks continue to decline and fishermen face potential quota cuts, everyone agrees there is no easy fix. But Liberal MP Gerry Byrne feels a step in the right direction might be the elimination of a year-round fishery. He feels that Area 6, Southern Labrador-North East Coast of Newfoundland should be reserved for the inshore exclusively, as there is no fishery during the species spawning periods. (read more)

MAKING A PIG’S EAR OF FOOD SAFETY
Source: New York Times
If, thanks to an experimental inspection program, a meatpacking firm produces as much as two tons a day of pork contaminated by fecal matter, urine, bile, hair, intestinal contents, or diseased tissue, should that count as a success? The agency responsible for enforcing food safety laws has not only approved this new inspection regime but is considering whether to roll it out across the pork-processing industry. Last month, the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture said it wished to see if the pilot program “could be applied to additional establishments.” (read more)

GRSB: WHY PRINCIPLES, CRITERIA NEEDED FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Source: The Beef Site
A major step forward was taken last month in Brazil at the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) when the multi-stakeholder group clarified what sustainability is.
A major player in the process was the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, helping to give the U.S. producer a voice as principles and criteria were ratified in Sao Paulo. (read more)

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

SMALL-SCALE FISH FARM WANTS TO EXPORT TECHNOLOGY TO URBAN MARKETS
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/starting-out/small-scale-fish-farm-wants-to-export-technology-to-urban-markets/article22037725/

PEDV UNCERTAINTY CLOUDS HOG MARKETS FORECASTS
https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/ag-knowledge/publications/fcc-express/fcc-express-archives/20141212.html?anchor=story2&utm_source=Subscribe+to+FCC+Email&utm_campaign=5a4181a270-Express_December_12_2014_EN_12_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ecca3657d7-5a4181a270-18200761

COLD WEATHER TIPS FOR HORSE OWNERS
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/35015/cold-weather-tips-for-horse-owners

WHY THE SPECTACULAR FALL IN OIL PRICES?
http://openmarkets.cmegroup.com/9571/a-spectacular-fall-in-oil-prices-but-why