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Category Archives: agriculture
The Complex Politics of Food Ethics
Here’s a useful short piece by James McWilliams, writing for The Atlantic: Meat: What Big Agriculture and the Ethical Butcher Have in Common I’ve repeatedly argued that supporting alternatives to the industrial production of animal products serves the ultimate interest … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, animal rights, animal welfare, ethics, meat, values
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Backyard Chicken Ethics
As far as food goes, you can’t get much more “local” than raising chickens in your own backyard. But many cities forbid the practice. Zoning laws generally prescribe where you can and cannot raise animals for food. But such laws … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, kids, law, local, urban farming, values
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Is Smaller More Ethical, or Less?
The food world’s fascination with small-scale production of bespoke edibles shows no sign of waning. See, for example, this piece by Emma Sturgess, for The Guardian: From small seeds grow big ideas There are David and Goliath battles in all … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, ethics, factory farms, farmers, industrial, sustainability, values
If you ate today, thank a farmer…and…?
Surely you’ve seen this bumper sticker: “If you ate today, thank a farmer.” That’s fine advice — farmers (of various kinds) play a key role in food production. But it’s also pretty narrow advice. It would be more accurate to … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, ethics, farmers
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Things that Matter: Drug Residue in Chinese Pork
You could tell a lot about your average foodie or food-safety advocate by asking them to list food-related issues by level of importance. Some people tend to focus on the latest feel-good trend (e.g., at least some versions of localism) … Continue reading
Posted in activism, agriculture, animal welfare, ethics, factory farms, health, international, meat, safety
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Monsanto Wins on Sugar Beets
By Karen Gullo, for Bloomberg: Monsanto Wins Reversal of Order to Destroy Sugar Beet Plants Monsanto Co. and the U.S. Agriculture Department won reversal of a judge’s order to destroy genetically modified sugar beet seedlings planted last year, a federal … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, biotechnology, ecosystems, ethics, genetic modification, GMO, law, USDA
Caution on “Green” Claims for Organics
A major UK farmers’ organization is cautioning those of its members who grow organic foods against leaning too heavily on claims that such foods are more environmentally-friendly than non-organics. Here’s the story, by Caroline Stocks, for Farmers Weekly Interactive: Organic … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, environment, farmers, organic
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Using, Regulating and Testing for Antibiotics in Milk
Here’s an interesting story about efforts to regulate competitive behaviour in the food industry: By William Neuman, for the NYT: F.D.A and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk Each year, federal inspectors find illegal levels of antibiotics in hundreds … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, factory farms, health, milk, regulation, safety
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Global Food Crisis
While many of us in the wealthier parts of the world are busy arguing about just which sub-type of organic lettuce we’re using in our salads, or whether we ought to take an “animal rights” approach versus an “animal welfare” … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, international, public policy
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Horse Meat (again)
Two days ago I blogged about Horse Meat Ethics. I discussed the fact that eating horse is considered taboo (in many places), and that slaughtering horses is illegal in the U.S., despite the fact that a) horse is widely eaten … Continue reading
Posted in activism, agriculture, animal rights, animal welfare, ethics, meat, values
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