CIHEAM Press Review

When Covid hit Italy in 2020, the pecorino industry careened towards life support. But thanks to the ingenuity of several producers, the cheese is now perhaps better than ever.

A recent study published in the Journal of Cleaner Productions finds greenhouse gas emissions to be 24 percent lower on organic dairy farms when compared to conventional dairy farms in the United States. These dairy farms focused on grazing and organic production techniques can sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Picture a mature, broad-branched tree like an oak, maple or fig. How does it reproduce so that its offspring don’t grow up in its shadow, fighting for light?

The answer is seed dispersal. Plants have evolved many strategies for spreading their seeds away from the parent plant. Some produce seedlings that float on the wind. Others have fruits that actually explode, ejecting their seeds.

The economic affairs committee in the French Senate is due to consider a report on the proposed law for ethical, socially just and animal welfare-friendly farming on Wednesday (12 May) following recent criticism over its alleged inaction on animal welfare. EURACTIV France reports.

Gozo seems to be living up to the stereotype image of being the land of sheep, because there are 403 sheep farms and 223 goat farms on the small island, the agriculture minister told parliament last week.
With a total of 626 farms, this means that in Gozo, which presently has a population of around 34,500, there is a farm for every 56 people living there.

The European (EU) Commission recently committed to banning caged farming in Europe. The proposal will cover animals including various chicken species, calves, and rabbits and will go into full effect by 2027.
By the end of 2023, the EU Commission promises to deliver a legislative proposal to phase out caged farming before banning the practice altogether in 2027. Several EU Member States have already implemented full or partial bans on caged farming for egg-laying hens in France, for sows in Sweden, and rabbits in Austria.

A new report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says some of the causes of cli­mate change may also be alter­ing the nutri­tional com­po­si­tion of food.
Climate affects a range of bio­log­i­cal processes, includ­ing the meta­bolic rate in plants and ectother­mic ani­mals,” the IPCC report said.