Farms // Current TV

Abandoned: The Plight of American Family Farms

“Abandoned” is a haunting four-minute short film directed by David... more

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Tar Sands Action "Surround the White House" - November 6, 2011

Thousands of people surround the White House to protest the Keystone XL Tar Sands... more

rupert1manband
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3 months ago
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1 comment

WHACKO-TV VEGETABLES MAKE ME FART

It is so warm and wonderful to see brothers working together on a video like this.... more

dwightdouglas
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3 months ago
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RELENTLESS

She was once the victim of injustice. Now she's using what she learned to spare... more

JohnMcKenzieMedia
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4 months ago
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Back to the Start: Choosing a More Sustainable Future

“Back to the Start” is a stellar animated short film by the acclaimed... more

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5 months ago
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'Food, Inc' exposes the truth behind what Americans eat

In this scene from "50 Documentaries to See Before You Die," director Robert... more

50docs
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6 months ago
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6 comments

For First Time, More Corn Used for Ethanol than Livestock

For the first time ever, more of the corn crop may go into gas tanks than into the... more

rodstradamus
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6 months ago
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Vegan Peace

www.veganpeace.com

EthicalVegan
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2 years ago
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Whole Foods Adopts Transparent Animal Welfare Ratings

This summer I’ll celebrate a decade of being vegetarian (yeah, I’m getting old). Being a veggie isn’t always easy, and I can’t say I haven’t cheated on occasion (for some reason, I really craved buffalo wings when I first started), but year after year the cause has stayed important to me.

But this post isn’t about me; it’s about Whole Foods’ new animal welfare ratings. Last month, the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods announced the launch of the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards, a new labeling system designed to educate consumers on the living conditions of the meat (pigs, chickens and cattle) they eat.

What does it all mean? The ratings are determined by independent third-party certifiers using auditors trained by the Global Animal Partnership (GAP). Essentially, the higher the step, the better the conditions for the animal. Step 1 equals “no crates, no cages,” meaning the “animals live their lives with space to move around and stretch their legs.” Step 5+ means the animal has enjoyed Step 1-5, including a “pasture-centered” life and living only on one farm.

Though organizations like PETA have been remarkably silent, others have questioned the transparency of these standards, including Certified Humane which compares GAP with other ratings available to Whole Foods. To be fair, Certified Humane offers a competitive rating system to GAP’s so it’s bound to be pushing for the use of its standards, but some of the issues it raises are worth noting. Even at Step 5+, the best rating, GAP does not have standards for slaughtering, does not guarantee animals are allowed dark/sleep periods and does not ensure animals receive disease prevention health care.

Compassion is the number one reason I choose to avoid meat, and, as of 2003, 96% of Americans agree animals deserve "some" protection from harm and exploitation. While I would love to see greater transparency in Whole Foods’ current initiative and a shift from publicizing humane treatment to requiring it across its supply chain, I appreciate the operational challenges that must exist and personally applaud the company for taking this important first step.

In the meantime, I’m eager for Whole Foods to apply these standards to other animal products and bi-products and look forward to a day when Whole Foods expands the program to include Step 6: No animal life was sacrificed to produce this product.

http://www.coneinc.com/whole-foods-adopts-animal-welfare-ratingsThis summer I’ll celebrate a decade of being vegetarian (yeah, I’m getting... more

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11 months ago
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Germany lifts dioxin-related bans on 3,050 farms

Livestock feed producers must face stricter controls and Germany and other EU nations... more

GoldenHeart
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1 year ago
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High Pointe Ministries Has Evicted Dream High Farms (Rehab Farm for Special Needs Children)

Jennifer Lee Pryor President, Indigo Inc. President, Tarnished Angel, Inc.... more

EthicalVegan
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1 year ago
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51 comments

Outrageous Federal Behavior! Called Tyranny!

Time to get the feds under control!!!

OnTimeTruth
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1 year ago
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Trafficked children working in UK 'cannabis farms'

Children are being trafficked into the UK to work in so-called 'cannabis... more

CarolineS
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1 year ago
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5 comments

Extreme weather kills thousands of cows and horses over the past few weeks (Videos)

Over the past few weeks, there has been an significant increase or their just may have... more

stormchaser4850
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1 year ago
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Endolsufan to be banned by EPA : exposes "unacceptable risks'" to farmworkers and wildlife

The EPA, declaring that endosulfan is unsafe for farm workers, moves to ban one of the last organochlorine pesticides left in the United States. Like DDT, endosulfan accumulates in the environment and in the bodies of people and wildlife, and is transported around the world to remote places. EPA officials on Wednesday announced that "pesticide products containing endosulfan do not meet the standard for registration" and pose "unacceptable risks" to farm workers and wildlife. The decision reverses one made in 2002 that triggered a lawsuit from farm labor unions and environmental activists.
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Declaring that endosulfan is unsafe, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it is about to ban one of the last organochlorine pesticides still used in the United States.

Endosulfan – used largely on vegetables, apples and cotton – “poses unacceptable risks” to farm workers and wildlife, EPA officials said. In response, the agency is moving to cancel the pesticide's registration.

Endosulfan is a chlorinated insecticide that is chemically similar to DDT, which was banned nearly 40 years ago. Like DDT, endosulfan builds up in the environment and in the bodies of people and wildlife, and it is transported around the world via winds and currents. Nearly all other organochlorine pesticides already have been banned.

Because of the risks to human health and the environment, “pesticide products containing endosulfan do not meet the standard for registration” under a federal law governing pesticides, EPA officials announced. The agency is now working with endosulfan’s sole manufacturer, Makhteshim Agan of North America, a North Carolina subsidiary of an Israeli company, on a timeframe to terminate all uses yet give growers time to shift to alternatives.

The agency’s move reverses a decision made in 2002 under the Bush Administration that allowed continued use of endosulfan with some restrictions. That decision triggered a lawsuit two years ago filed by farm labor unions and environmental groups.

EPA officials said new research shows that the health risks to workers who apply endosulfan to crops “are greater than previously known, in many instances exceeding the agency’s levels of concern.” The agency also found the risks for wildlife, particularly fish and birds, were greater than estimated in 2002.

continuedThe EPA, declaring that endosulfan is unsafe for farm workers, moves to ban one of the... more

JanforGore
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1 year ago
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Peach Festival - Queen Creek, AZ

I friggin' love peaches, a true sign that summer is on its way. See... more

amaness
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1 year ago
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Fresh Produce Rating Website Is Uniting the Local Food Movement Nationally

Fresh Produce Rating Website Now has over 2500 Farms, Farmersmarkets, CSAs, and other... more

TOP10PRODUCELLC
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1 year ago
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EPA Gives Corn-Based Ethanol a Big Thumbs Up

Farm state lawmakers and agribusiness have been hammering the EPA since it announced a... more

fordlyn
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2 years ago
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Self sustainable living in Kentucky and all the US becoming more popular

~y2010m2d1-Self-sustainable-living-in-Kentucky-and-all-the-US-becoming-more-popular... more

Merlyn_Seeley
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2 years ago
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Putin Bans U.S. Chicken Over Chlorine

With as much as 30,000 tons of American poultry in the pipeline to Russia, the... more

rodstradamus
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2 years ago
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13 comments

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