Latest news with #andForestry
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Pacific Island Countries Endorse 'Growing The Pacific 2050' Strategy, Advancing Resilient And Inclusive Agrifood Systems
31/05/2025 Nuku'alofa, Tonga - Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry from Pacific Island countries endorsed the Growing the Pacific 2050 Strategy for Agriculture and Forestry today at the 4th Meeting of the Pacific Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry, held in Nuku'alofa, Tonga. The 4th Ministerial Meeting concluded the Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry (PWAF), hosted by the Kingdom of Tonga and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Pacific Community (SPC). The Growing the Pacific 2050 Strategy is anchored in five interwoven strategic pathways — healthy, regenerative, secure, integrated, and enabled — which collectively guide transformative action across the agriculture and forestry sectors. These pathways underpin eight catalytic initiatives (2025–2030), which include promoting One Health and regenerative practices; advancing afforestation and climate-resilient systems; strengthening biosecurity and agrobiodiversity; supporting agribusiness and exports; and enhancing data, knowledge, and education systems to build future talent. This endorsement marks a major milestone in the region's collective commitment to building resilient, sustainable, and inclusive agrifood systems for the future. The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of Tonga, Honourable Dr Siosiua Moala Halavatau set the tone for the ministerial meeting in his opening remarks by urging continued collaboration among Pacific Islands to tackle shared challenges such as out-migration, an aging farmer population, and climate change. 'Agriculture and forestry are vital for the Pacific, as they are the backbones of our economies and the foundation of our food security. But they face significant challenges,' said Dr Halavatau. 'Partnership brings us together today in a genuine effort to work together towards a vibrant, sustainable, and resilient future for Pacific peoples and countries.' FAO Subregional Coordinator for the Pacific Islands, Guangzhou Qu, who reaffirmed FAO's support for the region, emphasized that traditional practices and knowledge in the Pacific provide scalable solutions for climate resilience and sustainable production. 'Guided by examples from across our Pacific nations, we envision a future where healthy soils thrive, farmer organizations lead, transparent data informs our decisions, and biodiversity flourishes,' said Qu. 'By empowering our youth and integrating indigenous knowledge, we can drive innovation that transforms Pacific agrifood systems, leaving no one behind.' SPC's Deputy Director-General (Science and Capability), Dr Paula Vivili, reiterated the cultural significance of food in the Pacific. 'Let us also not forget that food is identity in the Pacific. Our region has immense food heritage and genetic wealth. We must protect it, celebrate it, and build systems that ensure its benefits for Pacific people,' he said. 'Today, through discussions on invasive species, climate-informed food systems planning, and domestic production, we are collectively shaping strategies that are tailored, timely, and rooted in national priorities,' added Vivili. The transformation of agriculture and forestry for more regeneration, productivity, and resilience was the central theme of the Pacific Week of Agriculture and Forestry. This biannual week-long event was officially opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Sinaitakala Tukuaho of the Kingdom of Tonga. PWAF brought together governments, NGOs, community-based organizations, and the private sector to chart a transformative path for agriculture and forestry in the region. Hosted by the Government of Tonga's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests, PWAF served as an essential platform for sharing knowledge, aligning strategies, and driving collective action toward resilient and sustainable food systems across the Pacific. The fifth PWAF will be hosted by the Solomon Islands in 2027, as agreed by Pacific countries and territories. FAO and SPC, as key technical and resource partners in the region, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Pacific Island Countries in tackling climate change, food insecurity, and environmental degradation, working collaboratively in building a more resilient and sustainable future for all.
Eater
22-05-2025
- Business
- Eater
Cutting Food Stamps Isn't Just Cruel, It's Also Bad Economic Policy
Well into the wee hours of Thursday morning, House Republicans were hard at work doing what they do best: making the lives of all but the wealthiest Americans harder. After hours of debate, the Republican-led House narrowly passed the 'Big Beautiful Bill' championed by Donald Trump, which brings hundreds of billions of dollars in funding cuts to essential programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps. These $300 billion in proposed cuts will have devastating consequences for low-income Americans, many of whom are already struggling because everything, from rent to groceries, has gotten exponentially more expensive in recent years. In addition to nearly $300 million in SNAP budget cuts, the legislation would also increase work requirements for those receiving benefits for longer than three months, and shift a portion of the financial responsibility for SNAP to state budgets. According to CNN, that shift could result in some states limiting enrollment in assistance programs, or pulling out of SNAP altogether. Currently, it's estimated that around 11 million people, including 4 million children, would lose access to SNAP benefits. But despite the touted federal government 'savings,' these cuts to Medicaid and SNAP will have a devastating impact on the economy. There is pretty solid consensus among economists and other policy experts that programs like SNAP have obvious — and immediate — economic benefits. When the economy is bad, SNAP dollars are immediately infused back into the system, resulting in $1.50 in GDP growth for every $1 spent. SNAP spending also creates jobs, lowers healthcare costs, improves academic outcomes for children, and generally reduces poverty. Conversely, every time there are cuts to SNAP, the economy suffers: Farmers and grocers lose money, supermarket workers get laid off, and state and local budgets get strapped as local officials try to meet the demand for food assistance. If the cuts that just passed the House become law, projections indicate they could be catastrophic: one estimate suggests 1 million jobs will be lost, and states will see $113 billion in GDP losses. According to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, farmers will see billions in lost revenue, and workers in industries from trucking to supermarkets will lose their jobs. The president of Indiana's Gleaners Food Bank described the impact of the proposed cuts as a 'needless, self-inflicted humanitarian and economic disaster for Indiana and the country.' The SNAP program is the definition of a policy-no-brainer, and yet it remains controversial among conservative politicians because the thought of someone — even a child or elderly person! — obtaining something that they did not pay for is just untenable to the worst people among us. (Corporate welfare is, apparently, totally cool though.) I don't know how we fix that idea, that people in the richest country in the world are 'entitled' or 'greedy' for simply wanting enough food to eat, but you would think that this cruelty might be somewhat mitigated by the Republican party's own economic self-interest — and the interest of their wealthy constituents, but alas. It is clear that for House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump, a little short-term political boost that doubles as a sucker-punch to poor Americans is worth the long-term economic pinch that will inevitably come as a result of these cuts. This legislation is, thankfully, not yet law. It's headed back to the Senate, and it's unclear which parts of the bill will survive, though Trump and the GOP seem determined to decimate SNAP and Medicaid. What is abundantly clear, though, is that it's time to stop viewing the fight over food stamps as having anything to do with making the economy better. It is, explicitly, a fight over who deserves to eat, and Trump and his cronies have made brutally clear which side they're on. The freshest news from the food world every day
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Influential factory farm industry presents a massive challenge to safety of Oklahomans, animals
Chickens are pictured at an industrial farm. (Photo via Getty Images) Our food system is increasingly dominated by intensive animal agriculture known as factory farms, which are designed to produce as much meat as possible, cheaply and quickly. Nearly all animals farmed in the United States — as many as 99 percent by some estimates — are raised on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, known as CAFOs or factory farms. Each of these farms may hold tens or even hundreds of thousands of animals crammed into wire cages, metal crates, or other extremely restrictive enclosures inside windowless sheds The existence of animal factories presents a significant threat to public health. Animals' feed has traditionally relied on antibiotics, arsenic, hormones and additives. Animals are given vaccines to accelerate animal growth rates and prevent them from getting sick while housed by the thousands in cramped conditions ripe for disease. The overuse of these pharmaceuticals greatly compromises community health. Over 80% of antibiotics used in the U.S. are purchased by the agricultural industry, and their consistent use in livestock selects for antibiotic-resistant superbugs that are infecting humans at an alarming rate. The corporatized approach to our food system has resulted in its domination of all aspects of production and sales, yet operators are often granted protections to escape responsibility for the damages they cause. Despite a heavy environmental impact, industrial animal agriculture is largely exempted from federal and state air and water pollution regulations that apply to other major industries. Last year, the Oklahoma Legislature created a new law, Senate Bill 1424, that forbids property owners in the Illinois River Watershed whose lands and surface waterways have been polluted by runoff from poultry litter from pursuing legal action against contracted poultry growers unless an enforcement action has been taken by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry. The law also provides legal immunity to poultry corporations. This calls to mind Oklahoma's Right-to-Farm law, first passed in 1980, that centers on protecting certain agricultural activities on farmland and ranchland from nuisance suits when they impact neighboring property, for example through noise or pollution. Defendants recover costs and fees when nuisance suits are deemed frivolous. This and similar language may have a chilling effect on the filing of nuisance suits in favor of industrial operators. Factory farms carry strict regulations for setbacks from homes and bodies of water, along with a requirement to notify neighbors before construction. But Oklahoma has allowed numerous large poultry farms to avoid registration as CAFOs. As long as the farm doesn't store its litter on site, it can register as a poultry feeding operation. In 2013, the EPA granted Oklahoma authority over factory farm permitting. One year after taking over that registration process, the state reported a 91% decline in the number of factory farms. Perhaps not surprisingly over the past decade, most poultry farms have been registered under the less restrictive poultry feeding operation, while the number of birds licensed to be raised in Oklahoma at any given time doubled. Matthew Alison with the Indian Environmental Law Group represented a group of landowners along one of the state's last 'pristine' category Ozark streams. He sued the state Department of Agriculture after it allowed several 'mega-farms' to be built within the watershed starting in 2018. In July 2024, a Delaware County District Court judge ruled against the state Department of Agriculture and noted that the state's classification of the large poultry houses was in error. In addition, the rearing of farmed animals today, in order to maximize production and minimize costs, inevitably leads to inhumane practices. Oklahoma's animal cruelty statutes do not apply to farm animals as evidenced by two routine factory farming methods — housing creatures in too small enclosures and animal management practices that can include mutilation without pain relief. To date, Oklahoma has not outlawed the use of gestation crates, a 7-foot-by-2-foot cage that is used to house female pigs during pregnancy. It is so restrictive that pigs can't lie down without their limbs intruding into another's cage. If legislators need an example of how to promote more humane farming practices, they could look to California's Proposition 12, which bans the sale of products from farms that inhumanely confine animals. Under Proposition 12, all farm animals must live in areas that allow them to lie down, fully extend their limbs, stand up, and turn around. The United States Supreme Court has taken the side of animals and California's voters and upheld Proposition 12. As lawmakers ponder more industry-friendly policies, let's hope that they remember that human health is tied directly to our food sources. Our food chain starts with how we treat the animals we eat. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Devasted farms': Bipartisan Senate letter calls for 'new urgency' to address crippling virus
FIRST ON FOX: GOP Sen. Joni Ernst sent a letter to newly confirmed Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins calling for cooperation on key measures to address the bird flu epidemic ravaging farms across the country. "We know many pressing concerns await you as you begin your new role. We write to ask that you enhance the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) response to the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in our nation's animal agriculture sector, which we greatly appreciate you announcing as a top priority in your testimony before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry," the letter from Ernst, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, states. "The United States is now entering the fourth year of an outbreak of HPAI that has devastated farms, required the depopulation of more than 136 million birds on commercial poultry operations, and infected a small but growing number of farm workers. A new urgency is required from the USDA to address the evolving situation." The letter promotes ways to address the crisis that have been outlined by egg and turkey farmers, including an aggressive vaccination strategy for hens and turkeys, stockpiling vaccines, and outreach to trading partners to ensure that trade is not negatively impacted. Minnesota Declares State Of Emergency As Diseases Cripple Midwestern Farms The senators also called on the USDA to shift attention to a Biden order in 2024 that requires biosecurity audits on previously infected farms, or farms placed within a buffer zone of a control area, to be eligible for indemnities. Read On The Fox News App "In principle, this change would appear to enhance biosecurity measures and accountability for indemnity, but the rule was rushed," the letter states. "As a result, nearly no auditors have been trained to complete these audits, and the audit itself was posted in draft form. USDA should provide adequate numbers of qualified auditors prior to enforcement of the rule." The letter explains that "current indemnity rates for laying hens and pullets are based on inaccurate data and are artificially low" and offers solutions on how to address that, including an egg industry proposal to revise the calculations relying on data from USDA and land grant institutions that would make the indemnities "fairer." Bird Flu Found In Arizona Dairy Cattle Milk After Being First Detected In Neighboring Nevada "Even with revisions to indemnity formulas proposed by egg farmers, these payments will not come close to making producers whole for their losses. In reviewing indemnity activities, we would also urge you to ensure proper outreach to all farmers," the letter says. The bipartisan letter was signed by Democratic Sens. John Fetterman, Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Raphael Warnock, Mark Warner and Jon Ossoff, and Republicans Sens. Bernie Moreno, Jerry Moran, Roger Marshall, Todd Young, Dave McCormick, Ted Budd, Thom Tillis and Chuck Grassley. "I'm working to protect and preserve the livelihoods of our farmers, the stability of our local economies, and our food supply chain impacted by the spread of HPAI," Ernst told Fox News Digital in a statement. "By partnering with the Trump administration to identify solutions, we can ensure our producers have the tools they need to stop avian flu." American farmers and those in the agricultural business continue to reel over the spread of H5N1 bird flu, which apparently shows no sign of slowing to "disaster" status, FOX Business previously reported. "The real crisis is that we're going through the worst bird flu outbreak that we've had in the last 10 years since 2015, potentially the worst bird flu outbreak that we've ever had in the history of this country," Eggs Unlimited Vice President Brian Moscogiuri said on "Fox & Friends" last week. "We've lost 120 million birds since the beginning of 2022. In the last few months alone, since the middle of October, we've lost 45 million egg-laying hens," he added. "We've lost a significant amount of production, more than 13%. So we're just dealing with supply shortages. And it's just a disaster right now because this virus is in three of the top egg-laying states in the country. It doesn't seem like it's stopping anytime soon." During her confirmation hearing, Rollins said she is "hyper focused" on finding the team to combat bird flu and other diseases. "Secretary Rollins received the letter from Sen. Ernst and her colleagues yesterday," a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "She will respond in short order and is looking forward to working with Sen. Ernst and her colleagues to tackle this critical issue. The Biden administration failed to sufficiently address the avian flu, and his inflationary economic policies only made the problem worse. The American people deserve affordable eggs, and Secretary Rollins is fully committed to taking aggressive action to combat the avian flu and help lower the price of eggs. She is working with the White House to implement a comprehensive strategy that will be rolled out very soon." Fox News Digital's Kristen Altus contributed to this reportOriginal article source: 'Devasted farms': Bipartisan Senate letter calls for 'new urgency' to address crippling virus
Fox News
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'Devasted farms': Bipartisan Senate letter calls for 'new urgency' to address crippling virus
FIRST ON FOX: GOP Sen. Joni Ernst sent a letter to newly confirmed Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins calling for cooperation on key measures to address the bird flu epidemic ravaging farms across the country. "We know many pressing concerns await you as you begin your new role. We write to ask that you enhance the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) response to the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in our nation's animal agriculture sector, which we greatly appreciate you announcing as a top priority in your testimony before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry," the letter from Ernst, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, states. "The United States is now entering the fourth year of an outbreak of HPAI that has devastated farms, required the depopulation of more than 136 million birds on commercial poultry operations, and infected a small but growing number of farm workers. A new urgency is required from the USDA to address the evolving situation." The letter promotes ways to address the crisis that have been outlined by egg and turkey farmers, including an aggressive vaccination strategy for hens and turkeys, stockpiling vaccines, and outreach to trading partners to ensure that trade is not negatively impacted. The senators also called on the USDA to shift attention to a Biden order in 2024 that requires biosecurity audits on previously infected farms, or farms placed within a buffer zone of a control area, to be eligible for indemnities. "In principle, this change would appear to enhance biosecurity measures and accountability for indemnity, but the rule was rushed," the letter states. "As a result, nearly no auditors have been trained to complete these audits, and the audit itself was posted in draft form. USDA should provide adequate numbers of qualified auditors prior to enforcement of the rule." The letter explains that "current indemnity rates for laying hens and pullets are based on inaccurate data and are artificially low" and offers solutions on how to address that, including an egg industry proposal to revise the calculations relying on data from USDA and land grant institutions that would make the indemnities "fairer." "Even with revisions to indemnity formulas proposed by egg farmers, these payments will not come close to making producers whole for their losses. In reviewing indemnity activities, we would also urge you to ensure proper outreach to all farmers," the letter says. The bipartisan letter was signed by Democratic Sens. John Fetterman, Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Raphael Warnock, Mark Warner and Jon Ossoff, and Republicans Sens. Bernie Moreno, Jerry Moran, Roger Marshall, Todd Young, Dave McCormick, Ted Budd, Thom Tillis and Chuck Grassley. "I'm working to protect and preserve the livelihoods of our farmers, the stability of our local economies, and our food supply chain impacted by the spread of HPAI," Ernst told Fox News Digital in a statement. "By partnering with the Trump administration to identify solutions, we can ensure our producers have the tools they need to stop avian flu." American farmers and those in the agricultural business continue to reel over the spread of H5N1 bird flu, which apparently shows no sign of slowing to "disaster" status, FOX Business previously reported. "The real crisis is that we're going through the worst bird flu outbreak that we've had in the last 10 years since 2015, potentially the worst bird flu outbreak that we've ever had in the history of this country," Eggs Unlimited Vice President Brian Moscogiuri said on "Fox & Friends" last week. "We've lost 120 million birds since the beginning of 2022. In the last few months alone, since the middle of October, we've lost 45 million egg-laying hens," he added. "We've lost a significant amount of production, more than 13%. So we're just dealing with supply shortages. And it's just a disaster right now because this virus is in three of the top egg-laying states in the country. It doesn't seem like it's stopping anytime soon." During her confirmation hearing, Rollins said she is "hyper focused" on finding the team to combat bird flu and other diseases. "Secretary Rollins received the letter from Sen. Ernst and her colleagues yesterday," a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "She will respond in short order and is looking forward to working with Sen. Ernst and her colleagues to tackle this critical issue. The Biden administration failed to sufficiently address the avian flu, and his inflationary economic policies only made the problem worse. The American people deserve affordable eggs, and Secretary Rollins is fully committed to taking aggressive action to combat the avian flu and help lower the price of eggs. She is working with the White House to implement a comprehensive strategy that will be rolled out very soon."
