8/1/03

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1.  A New View Of American Agriculture
2.  Jaguar Ranch Purchased In Mexico
3.  Validity of British GMO Report Questioned
4.  Egg Farm Proposed Next To Wildlife Preserve

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1.  A NEW VIEW OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURE

A new white paper published by the Minnesota Project and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy looks at the big picture of how farm policy got this way, and what it ought to be in the future. The paper shows how dominance by large farms, corporate control of markets and federal subsidies have turned agriculture into an industrial sector that has harmed the environment, rural communities, farm families, and food consumers. 

The paper examines how geography, history, technology and economics contributed to this change, and frames an alternative future for American agriculture.  The paper was authored by Dr.  Dennis Keeney, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and Loni Kemp, the Senior Policy Analyst for the Minnesota Project. Read the paper.

2.  JAGUAR RANCH PURCHASED IN NORTHERN MEXICO

In northern Sonora the Mexican non-profit conservation group Naturalia has announced the purchase of a 10,000 acre ranch in northern Sonora.  This purchase, the result of effect bi-national cooperation between Naturalia, Defenders of Wildlife and the Northern Jaguar Project, will protect jaguars at their northern range. The jaguar, now endangered in the United States, historically ranged in the southwestern United States as far north as the Grand Canyon, where in 1900 a mother and two kittens were killed. Scientists don't think jaguars - who may travel 500 miles to find food or a mate - are currently breeding in the United States. However, since 1996 they've been photographed three times in Southern Arizona. The recolonization of the jaguar into the United States will likely depend on populations like these in northern Mexico. The new owners are keen on working with ranchers in the local area to build an economy that supports jaguar conservation. "The human component is essential," said Oscar Moctezuma, director of Naturalia.  "We plan on building new economies from eco-tourism and other means to build support by local ranchers and landowners."  Learn more.

3.  VALIDITY OF BRITISH GMO REPORT QUESTIONED

Rural UPdates reported on July 25th that according to the British government's "GM Science Review" report, the most serious potential harm of GMO crops is their effect on wildlife. While this finding remains unchallenged, the Independent Scientists Panel, an international assemblage of geneticists, ecologists, and other scientists, is calling into question many of the other findings of the Review: primarily, that genetically modified organisms pose no perceptible threat to humans. The ISP's report, titled "The Case for A GM-Free Sustainable World," is an exhaustive 136-page review of the literature on GMO crops. The report asserts that: GM crops have not delivered their promised benefits, transgenic contamination is unavoidable, and GM crops can contain growth factors, allergens, viral sequences and traces of pharmaceutical compounds. They conclude that the presence of these compounds, and the uncertainty of their fates in the human digestive tract and cells, means that it is premature to assume that GM crops are safe for human consumption. The ISP calls instead for "a comprehensive global shift to all forms of sustainable agriculture." RU! expresses thanks to the several readers who brought the Independent Scientists Panel and its conclusions to our attention. Get more information.

4.  EGG FARM PROPOSED NEXT TO WILDLIFE REFUGE

According to a July 20 article in Raleigh's "News and Observer," an Indiana-based egg farm is proposing to build a facility to house 3 to 4 million laying hens in North Carolina -- one mile from the 115,000 acre Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Officials from the U.S.  Fish and Wildlife Service are concerned about the proposed project's impact on the Refuge, particularly on air and water quality. Pocosin Lakes is an important Refuge for migratory birds, which officials worry could suffer if manure wastes, egg- washing water or carcasses pollute local waters. Officials also fear that manure lagoons associated with the facility could actually attract waterfowl and become a vector for spreading disease. Furthermore, because "state air-quality rules exempt animal operations from regulations controlling objectionable odors," the Fish and Wildlife Service is also concerned that the facility could negatively impact visitors to the Refuge. The full article is available to subscribers at www.newsobserver.com

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Rural Updates!
Scotty Johnson and Aimee Delach
National Rural Community Outreach Campaign
sjohnson@defenders.org