Green Scene

  • EU countries vote in favour of pesticide ban

    RESTRICTIONS ON THE pesticides some blame for harming bee populations moved a step closer today.                     In all, 15 European Member States supported a ban on three neonicotinoid pesticides. Eight countries… Read More

  • EC proposes wider reporting

    LARGE COMPANIES could soon have to divulge more information on the social and environmental impacts of their business under proposals announced by the European Commission (EC).   The proposal, which involves an amendment to existing accounting legislation, would require companies… Read More

  • Confusion over GM-free soya availability

    DEBATE CONTINUES to rage over whether there is enough GM-free soya available for the UK’s poultry market.   Earlier this week, four leading supermarkets announced that they have removed requirements for their poultry suppliers to use only GM-free feed, largely… Read More

  • Retailers drop anti-GM poultry feed stance

    THREE OF THE country’s more ethical supermarkets have removed requirements for their suppliers to give poultry only GM-free feed.   Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and The Coop have all announced changes to their policies given that they could no longer… Read More

  • Young are hungry for organic

    A HIGH-PROFILE report on organic food shows sales are down again, but caterers and kids offer rays of light.   This year’s report on the state of the organic sector shows there’s life in the organic market yet. After a… Read More

  • EU vote threatens progress on green farming

    ENVIRONMENTALISTS ACCUSE MEP’S of watering down eco-friendly plans for Common Agricultural Policy.                           Much has been done to improve the environmental performance of agriculture, but a recent vote in… Read More

  • My viewpoint: Johnny Pitt talks lacklustre PR responses to horsegate

    THE HORSE MEAT scandal highlighted serious problems with the global supply chains that bring food to our plates, but caterers and retailers didn’t help themselves with a lacklustre PR response. They’ll need to do better as the story rumbles on,… Read More

  • MP’s call for pesticide ban to save bees

    THE GOVERNMENT must introduce a precautionary moratorium on three pesticides linked to the decline of pollinators like honeybees, according to a powerful committee of MPs.                   The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), Parliament’s… Read More

  • 106 AD plants, but still not enough?

    THERE ARE now over 100 anaerobic digestion (AD) plants in the UK, outside those used by the water industry.   The official figures, gathered by bioeconomy consultants NNFCC and WRAP, reveal that the number of AD plants in the UK… Read More

  • Battle for honeybees continues

    THE GOVERNMENT is at the centre of storm brewing between environmentalists and agri-chemical companies over the use of some pesticides.                     Neonicotinoids are commonly used in Europe to control pests on… Read More