FAIRR’s top news picks
Dutch Farmers Continue Protesting the New Emissions Laws
The Washington Post | 10 July 2022
Back in December 2021, the new Dutch coalition government announced that it was cutting livestock by a third to reduce nitrogen pollution from animal waste in a country known for its intensive farming. This month, Dutch farmers are protesting the new emissions laws fearful that they will be put out of business. This is a stark reminder of the importance of a Just Transition in agriculture. The FAIRR Initiative’s blog on the Dutch Nitrogen crisis offers further insights into the matter.
Microplastics Detected in Meat, Milk and Blood of Farm Animals
Euronews | 8 July 2022
For the first time, microplastics are found in beef, pork, and the blood of farm animals! This news comes just after microplastics were reported in human blood in March. Animal feed is identified as one of the potential routes of contamination. Whilst the impact of these findings is yet unknown, it sure can’t be good for the health of livestock and humans. These findings stress the need for increased regulation of plastics in our food system as the official EU level for plastic permitted in animal feed is zero.
A Tesco-Cargill Chicken Deal Pollutes the UK’s River Wye
The Guardian | 14 July 2022
A chicken supply deal between Tesco and Cargill causes major livestock manure pollution in the UK’s River Wye. Since 2014, intensive chicken units along the Wye have grown significantly in numbers preventing the land in the area from being able to absorb the manure. This pollution causes biodiversity loss and is harmful to human health. The Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index 2021/22 shows that disclosure on waste management remains abysmally low across major meat and dairy companies.
Graphic of the Week
In 2014, there were 22 applications to build intensive poultry units (14 of which were for broiler chickens) in Herefordshire, the hotspot for chicken farming in the Wye area. This led to an additional 1.4 million birds a year producing animal waste on farms in the county.
Source: The Guardian
More Food for Thought
Turkey Bans Production of Vegan Cheese | Flora Southey | Food Navigator
Cutting China’s Pork Prices Means Reining In Millions of Farmers | Bloomberg
FAIRR’s Protein Pulse is a weekly collection of news articles related to the food sector that may be of interest to our members. FAIRR does not necessarily endorse the views of these news articles and assumes no responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies found in third-party content.