Friends of the Earth

  • Fourth pesticide found to harm bees

    THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority has concluded that the insecticide fipronil “poses a high acute risk to honeybees when used as a seed treatment for maize”.                   The findings have prompted calls…

  • 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…

  • Call for sugary drinks tax

    A TAX ON sugary drinks should be included in the 2013 budget, according to a new report published today. At 20p per litre, this would equate to some £1bn a year, with the money diverted to a ring-fenced “Children’s Future…

  • Doha: Progress or Failure?

    ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS have reacted angrily to the “failure” that was the Doha climate talks, while the UK Government has called the agreement “a step forward”. Most agree, however, that the progress was modest, with a mismatch between the scale and…

  • PM faces tough questions on green claims

    THE PRIME Minister is likely to have a tough afternoon ahead when he faces questions later today from senior MPs on the Government’s environmental record.                           The evidence…

  • Government backs GM

    THE GOVERNMENT is hoping to “speed up” the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in the UK.   In an interview with the Telegraph, published today, the Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said GM “would be a good thing” and criticised…

  • Climate talks fail

    SIX OF THE largest environmental and development organisations in the world issued a statement claiming the climate talks in Doha were “on the brink of disaster” and that “rich governments had 24 hours to urgently make a deal that reflects…