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Japan's bluefin tuna trade
Japan's prized bluefin stocks are in danger of commercial extinction
Still hooked: time runs out for Japan's dangerous obsession with the bluefin
<div><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/94893?ns=guardian&pageName=Environment%3A+Still+hooked%3A+time+runs+out+for+Japan%27s+dangerous+obsession+with+the+bluefin&ch=Environment&c3=The+Guardian&c4=Fishing+%28Environment%29%2CJapan+%28News%29%2CFood+%28Environment%29%2CEnvironment%2CConservation+%28Environment%29%2CWorld+news&c5=Environment+Conservation%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CEthical+Living%2CFood+and+Drink&c6=Justin+McCurry&c7=2008_11_18&c8=1119404&c9=article&c10=GU&c11=Environment&c12=Fishing&c13=&c14=&h2=GU%2FEnvironment%2FFishing" width="1" height="1" /></div>Sunrise is at least an hour away when Atsushi Sasaki steers his fishing boat out of Oma and into the notorious straits separating Japan's mainland from its northernmost island, Hokkaido.By the time he reaches the open water of the Tsugaru Strait, the wind has turned into a gale and the waves grow higher with every assault on the bow of his boat.But Sasaki, a wiry 61-year old with a crewcut and the teak complexion of an inveterate fisherman, is unfazed: even the discovery that the coolbox containing his lunch is now flooded with seawater is accepted with a shrug. For now, his concern is directed solely at his prey: the bluefin tuna.Global stocks of the highly prized fish have plummeted by 90% in the last 30 years, and much of the blame rests with Japan, by far the world's biggest consumer. Every year the Japanese get through about three-quarters of the world's bluefin catch; 80% of tuna caught in the Mediterranean ends up on the Japanese market.Faced with the imminent collapse of bluefin stocks, fisheries officials from 45 countries are meeting in Morocco this week to discuss bluefin quotas for the Atlantic and Mediterranean next year. Conservationists want a moratorium, but Japan is reportedly about to support a scientific panel's recommendation that the quota be set at 15,000 tonnes, about half the current level. But while attempts are being made to rescue bluefin tuna populations in seas thousands of miles away, nothing is being done to prevent Japan's appetite for tuna sushi and sashimi from ripping through stocks along its own coastline. But Sasaki is not part of Japan's overfishing problem. Rather, he could be the solution. There are no trawler nets or lines coiled in heaps on his boat (named, with incidental irony, Man'yu, or Ten Thousand Tuna). He is one of barely 200 ippon-zuri fishermen around Japan, who catch tuna sustainably using a combination of a rod and line, a basic sonar and occasional luck.The former salaryman, who quit his office job 20 years ago to lead the life of an itinerant fisherman, is a regular visitor to Oma, one of just three places in Japan where the method survives.In an attempt to prevent the tradition from dying out and to protect local stocks from being fished into oblivion, the local authorities have assigned the Tsugaru Strait for the exclusive use of Oma's 60 rod-and-line fishermen.The move has met with mixed results. The ippon-zuri have become embroiled in a row with longline fishermen who violate the exclusion zone by using baited lines often several miles long. Elsewhere, trawlers, equipped with sophisticated sonar, plunder coastal waters, aided by the absence of official quotas and collusion between politicians and the powerful fishing lobby.High fuel prices, lower profit margins and stricter quotas in other parts of the world have created an irresistible urge for Japanese boats to take more bluefin from their own waters. And all the time demand is growing, not only in Japan, the US and Europe, but increasingly in China and Russia."Japan's fisheries have no idea how many tuna they are catching or what size they are," says Sasaki, in the smoke-filled cabin of the Man'yu. "The smaller tuna have all been caught, along with the fish they feed on, and unregulated fishing with trawlers is to blame."Faced with official diffidence and scant popular enthusiasm for conservationism, Sasaki is spurred on by relatively low operating costs and the knowledge that he is playing a small part in a nascent interest among the Japanese in sustainable sushi."We need proper stock management," he says. "Collapse is just around the corner."The bluefin tuna caught off Oma, a town of 6,000 people on the northern coast of Aomori prefecture, are seen as the tastiest in Japan and typically fetch twice as much as imported fish at auction. In 2001, a 202kg (445lbs) Oma bluefin sold for a record ¥20.2m (£141,400). The yearly average catch for Oma is 2,500 tuna, worth about ¥1.6bn (£11m) to the local economy. This is tiny compared with a few decades ago, says Hirofumi Hamabata, head of the town's fishing cooperative. "After the war, each boat returned with about half a dozen tuna every day," he says. "They were so cheap you'd have to sell 4kg of fish just to be able to afford a pack of cigarettes."Akihiro Furukawa, a longline fisherman for 13 years, admits he fears for the future: "My son wants to follow in my footsteps, but by the time he's old enough to go to sea, there won't be any fish left to catch."In the Tsugaru Strait it is usual to see 150 boats fishing for tuna. Today, though, the weather has put most fishermen off. And after several hours at sea on an empty stomach, Sasaki is ready to call it a day. As darkness descends on Oma, another ippon-zuri fisherman who has had better luck returns. Watched by groups of children, six tuna weighing up to 100kg are unloaded and packed into wooden vats of crushed ice, ready be driven to the Tsukiji market in Tokyo before dawn. The fish may well fall under the gaze of Toichiro Iida, a wholesale trader who seeks out Oma tuna at auction. His family firm, Hicho, has been in business for almost 150 years. He says many of his fellow traders know nothing about the provenance of their tuna."They're just happy to buy the cheaper fish and make easy profits, but to do that they have to buy tuna that has come off a trawler," says Iida, who counts Tokyo's best sushi chefs among his clients. "Even some sushi restaurateurs don't know if their tuna is caught using nets or by more sustainable methods," Iida says. "It is about time they learned."<h2> Backstory </h2>The Japanese eat 600,000 tonnes of tuna a year - about a third of the total fished worldwide, and about three-quarters of the total bluefin fished worldwide. In 2006, Japan mported 44,000 tonnes of bluefin, just over half of it from the east Atlantic and Mediterranean. According to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, which meets in Marrakech this week, about 61,000 tonnes of bluefin tuna were caught in these seas last year - more than double the permitted catch of 29,500 tonnes. The commission has set a target of 25,500 tonnes by 2010, but many experts believe this should be nearer 15,000 tonnes. The Blue Ocean Institute's guide says bluefin tuna should be avoided altogether. Some restaurants, such as the Moshi Moshi chain in the UK, have removed bluefin from their menus. Justin McCurry<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/fishing">Fishing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/japan">Japan</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/food">Food</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/">Conservation</a></li></ul></div><div class="guRssAdvert"><a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159580111922401348371"><img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159580111922401348371" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html">More Feeds</a>
Silkworms: an environmentally friendly delicacy?
According to legend, 5,000 years ago a Chinese empress discovered silk when a silkworm cocoon fell into her tea. From Ecoworldly.com, part of the Guardian Environment Network
Fruit and veg boom needed to feed Britain
<div><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/65924?ns=guardian&pageName=Science%3A+Fruit+and+veg+boom+needed+to+feed+Britain&ch=Science&c3=The+Observer&c4=Agriculture+%28Science%29%2CScience%2CFood+%28Environment%29%2CClimate+change+%28Environment%29%2CClimate+change+%28Science%29%2CEnvironment%2CUK+news%2CObserver&c5=Environment+Conservation%2CClimate+Change%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CEthical+Living%2CFood+and+Drink&c6=Robin+McKie&c7=2008_11_16&c8=1118624&c9=article&c10=GU&c11=Science&c12=Agriculture&c13=&c14=&h2=GU%2FScience%2FAgriculture" width="1" height="1" /></div>It is an image worthy of a Keats poem or a Constable landscape: great orchards bursting with fruit, fields crammed with ripening vegetables and hillsides covered with sheep and cattle.But this is no dream of long-gone rural glories. It is a vision of the kind of countryside that Britain may need if it is to survive the impact of climate change and higher oil prices, according to leading agricultural experts.They have warned that only a total revolution in the nation's food industry can save Britain from serious shortages of staples as world oil production peaks, the climate continues to heat up, the population grows and our dietary needs continue to evolve.In turn that means a complete shake-up in the way we farm the countryside. At present Britain imports more than 90 per cent of the fruit it consumes.'We face some awesome changes in the way we deal with food production,' said Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, London. 'For the past century we have relied on oil to produce more and more food for ourselves - mainly through the use of petroleum products to make cheap fertilisers.'The problem is that oil is becoming more and more expensive and is also linked to dangerous emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. As a result, food experts such as Lang have been pressing the government to develop a proper strategy for ensuring that Britain is able to supply itself with food for the rest of the century, but in a way that fits in with the nation's goals on climate change.It is simply not acceptable for Britain to continue to import foodstuffs such as beans from countries like Kenya, they say. The nation needs to be self-sustaining and to do this in an environmentally friendly manner.One key approach relies on a return to past methods of food production. The nation needs to re-learn the gardening skills it lost a century ago and to change its diet to one that includes less meat, fewer dairy products and more fruit and vegetables, said Lang. 'This country produces less than 10 per cent of the fruit it eats. That has to change. We need to consider orchard planting on a massive scale as well as encouraging people to eat more fruit and vegetables.'Nor is it acceptable that 40 per cent of the grain produced in Britain is used to feed the cattle and sheep that provide us with meat and dairy products. Growing grain which is then fed to animals is an inefficient way to deliver protein to the populace. Instead cattle and pigs should be confined to hillsides where they can graze and not use up grain that has required oil-based fertilisers for its growth. Prime land should be used to feed people directly, Lang insisted.This point was backed by Dr David Barling of City University's Centre for Food Policy. 'The debates around what and how much food the UK should produce and import should be based upon the priorities of providing a vibrant food economy that is socially just, environmentally benign and provides for a healthy population. This is not the case currently,' he said.Such changes in the use of the countryside have other implications, however. More people will be required to work this altered landscape while productive land will have to be protected from development. 'We are going to have to revolutionise the way we use the countryside,' said Lang. That transformation will require a return to old ways that might be welcome but equally there could be changes that might cause upset, such as the building of more rural homes to house those needed to work there. 'We will have to face up to these challenges as well,' Lang concluded.<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/agriculture">Agriculture</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/food">Food</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/climatechange">Climate change</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/scienceofclimatechange">Climate change</a></li></ul></div><div class="guRssAdvert"><a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Science&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159647111922401348371"><img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Science&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159647111922401348371" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html">More Feeds</a>
Farmers accuse supermarkets of harsh tactics in price war
<div><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/13268?ns=guardian&pageName=UK+news%3A+Farmers+accuse+supermarkets+of+harsh+tactics+in+price+war&ch=UK+news&c3=The+Guardian&c4=Rural+affairs%2CSupermarkets+%28business%29%2CUnions%2CPolitics%2CRetail+industry+%28Business%29%2CFood+%28Environment%29%2CUK+news%2CEnvironment%2CBusiness&c5=Business+Markets%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CEthical+Living%2CFood+and+Drink&c6=Julia+Finch&c7=2008_11_14&c8=1117663&c9=article&c10=GU&c11=UK+news&c12=Rural+affairs&c13=&c14=&h2=GU%2FUK+news%2FRural+affairs" width="1" height="1" /></div>The big supermarkets are treating suppliers "harshly" and "beating up" farmers and growers as they compete to offer the lowest prices, the National Farmers' Union has warned. The NFU is looking into "a number of complaints of aggressive tactics" used against its members by buyers from the big grocers. The tactics include "demands for over-riders, sudden price reductions and changes in payment terms".The union called on the supermarkets to sacrifice some of their own profit margins to cut prices rather than demand more price cuts from farmers and growers.As the economic downturn has taken hold the big supermarkets have ditched their focus on food quality, provenance and green issues and are competing in a fierce price war to stop customers drifting away to lower-cost operators."The NFU is very concerned that the major retailers, as part of a price war strategy to drive down the cost of food to their customers, are treating suppliers harshly," the union said. "While the NFU fully understands and sympathises with the effect of the credit crunch on consumers' spending power, it would be a disastrous policy to irreparably damage the agricultural supply base in Britain by unfairly driving down the prices paid by retailers for produce at the farm gate."We believe there is sufficient flexibility in the retailers' own margin to allow for price cuts to consumers which do not unfairly reduce the price paid to farmers and growers."The NFU's attack came only a day after Sainsbury's reported a 13% increase in half-year profits to £272m. Yesterday Asda reported a 6.9% increase in like-for-like sales. Asda's finance director, Judith McKenna, denied the Wal-Mart-owned chain was turning the screw on its suppliers. "We always like to say we have a healthy relationship with our suppliers. But that doesn't mean we are soft on them - we will absolutely drive a hard bargain."A Sainsbury's spokesman said: "We approach our supplier relationship as a partnership. We are doing what we can to help them, including starting a new scheme to help them get rapid payments."Tesco admitted it was asking for some prices to be lowered - because it had paid more when fuel and other commodity prices had gone up and wanted reductions now those prices were back to 2006 levels. "We have been having the usual round of negotiations with suppliers to get the best deal for consumers," a spokesman said. He denied Tesco buyers were being aggressive and added: "The last thing we want to do is put any supplier in a position where they can't supply us any more."This week NFU president Peter Kendall accused the big supermarkets of "beating up" their suppliers as they step up their price war. He told the Farmers Guardian: "This is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. It is having diabolical consequences for suppliers."Asda's 6.9% sales growth in the three months to the end of September is substantially faster than that recorded by some of its biggest rivals. Sainsbury's like-for-like sales over a similar period were ahead 4.3%, while Tesco reported a 4% rise in the three months to August 23.Asda said it now had 2.2 million more weekly shoppers than two years ago, including 500,000 more from the AB social groups, and they were boosting sales of meat, chilled foods and wine. Huge numbers of wealthier shoppers have changed their shopping habits and traded down from upmarket foodstores such as M&S to cheaper brands and stores.Asda also said it would object to any move to impose minimum prices on alcohol. It said alcohol abuse was a problem in society and that price controls would be "a sledgehammer to crack a nut".<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/ruralaffairs">Rural affairs</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/supermarkets">Supermarkets</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/tradeunions">Trade unions</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/retail">Retail industry</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/food">Food</a></li></ul></div><div class="guRssAdvert"><a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yes&site=News&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159656111922401348371"><img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=News&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159656111922401348371" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html">More Feeds</a>
Florida trims Everglades buyback deal
A revised plan for the state of Florida to buy thousands of acres of land to nurture and restore the Everglades sees fall in value and acreage
Farmers should be paid to protect 'carbon banks', says National Trust
<div><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/86927?ns=guardian&pageName=Environment%3A+Farmers+should+be+paid+to+protect+%27carbon+banks%27%2C+says+National+Trust&ch=Environment&c3=guardian.co.uk&c4=Carbon+emissions+%28Environment%29%2CWildlife+%28Environment%29%2CWater+%28Environment%29%2CFood+%28Environment%29%2CEnvironment%2CUK+news&c5=Environment+Conservation%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CEthical+Living%2CFood+and+Drink&c6=James+Meikle&c7=2008_11_12&c8=1116139&c9=article&c10=GU&c11=Environment&c12=Carbon+emissions&c13=&c14=&h2=GU%2FEnvironment%2FCarbon+emissions" width="1" height="1" /></div>Hill farmers should be rewarded for protecting <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/wildlife">wildlife</a>, landscapes, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/water">water</a> and carbon stores as well as rearing livestock, the National Trust said today.It warned that rising costs of food production and the global recession would make it even more difficult for livestock owners to make a living at a time when English and Welsh governments are seeking to replace existing subsidies paid to hill farmers.The trust, which has 2,000 tenant farmers, most of them in upland areas, is already involved in pilot schemes to improve water quality at source, so water companies do not face such high costs at treatment plants, and in providing wetland areas to reduce the risk of flash floods.It also wants financial incentives for farmers who conserve "carbon banks" in the soil including peatlands which are the largest carbon stores in Britain. Peatlands are the single <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/07/conservation-endangered-habitats">largest carbon reserve in the UK</a>, storing around 3bn tonnes of carbon, more than in the woodlands of Britain and France combined. In areas such as the Peak District, over-grazing has been partly blamed for the erosion of peatland and worrying releases of carbon.Iwan Hughes, the trust's director for Wales, said: "Ten years ago any notion that hill farmers would farm for water or for carbon would have been dismissed as fantasy. But with the pressures of a changing climate and the need to protect and value our natural capital, the future of hill farming will focus on a mixture of food production and providing wider environmental benefits for society."So far the value of farms in managing countries' national assets was largely unrecognised. "With the right investment , these farms could be rewarded for their important contribution to our wildlife as well as the management of the finite resources such as water and soil which will benefit as all."<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/carbonemissions">Carbon emissions</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/wildlife">Wildlife</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/water">Water</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/food">Food</a></li></ul></div><div class="guRssAdvert"><a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159669111922401348371"><img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159669111922401348371" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html">More Feeds</a>
European fishing fleets may have catches cut by one-quarter
<div><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/92412?ns=guardian&pageName=Environment%3A+European+fishing+fleets+may+have+catches+cut+by+one-quarter&ch=Environment&c3=guardian.co.uk&c4=Fishing+%28Environment%29%2CFood+%28Environment%29%2CWildlife+%28Environment%29%2CConservation+%28Environment%29%2CEnvironment%2CUK+news%2CPolitics%2CEuropean+Union+%28News%29&c5=Environment+Conservation%2CMiddle+East+Travel%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CEthical+Living%2CFood+and+Drink&c6=Jessica+Aldred&c7=2008_11_10&c8=1115628&c9=article&c10=GU&c11=Environment&c12=Fishing&c13=&c14=&h2=GU%2FEnvironment%2FFishing" width="1" height="1" /></div>European fishing fleets could see their catches cut by up to a quarter next year if EU ministers sign up to recommendations aiming to protect overfished species such as cod and haddock. The European Commission today proposed deep cuts in 2009 catches for almost 30 species and a ban on <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/fishing">fishing</a> for several others across the northeastern Atlantic. The EU fisheries commissioner, Joe Borg, said some fish species had recovered in recent years, "but this good news remains the exception, not the rule."In a report to EU governments, Borg proposed cuts of up to 52% in the maximum allowed for some fish, so that "stocks have a chance to recover". "I know this will be hard on the fleets affected," he said. "But there is no other choice if we want to restore the ecological basis for a truly viable European fishing industry," he added.The proposed fishing quotas for 2009 must be endorsed next month by EU governments to take effect. But EU governments regularly ignore pleas from the EU and scientists to limit fishing.For 2009, Borg has proposed: ? No fishing at all west of Scotland for cod, haddock and whiting west of Scotland; ? A 25% cut in herring catches in the North Sea and west of Scotland; ? A continued a ban on anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay; ? A new ban on fishing for spurdog and porbeagle, two species of deep-sea shark.Under the proposals, cod fishermen would also see a reduction in the number of days they are allowed to trawl. In recent years, scientists have warned that cod is so badly overfished in EU waters that it runs the risk of extinction. Aaron McLoughlin, a spokesman for the WWF, said it was "disappointing" that the European commission made no detailed recommendations to replenish "North Sea cod stocks whose recovery currently hangs in the balance."Conservationists attacked <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/19/fishing.conservation2">last December's EU fishing quota deal</a> which allowed fishing fleets to land an extra 11% of cod in the North Sea.<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/fishing">Fishing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/food">Food</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/wildlife">Wildlife</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/">Conservation</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/eu">European Union</a></li></ul></div><div class="guRssAdvert"><a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159676111922401348371"><img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159676111922401348371" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html">More Feeds</a>
Sales of cheap flatfish rise
<div><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/13279?ns=guardian&pageName=Environment%3A+Dab+becomes+more+of+a+catch+for+consumers&ch=Environment&c3=The+Guardian&c4=Fishing+%28Environment%29%2CEnvironment%2CUK+news%2CFood+%28Environment%29&c5=Environment+Conservation%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CEthical+Living%2CFood+and+Drink&c6=Audrey+Gillan&c7=2008_11_10&c8=1115123&c9=article&c10=GU&c11=Environment&c12=Fishing&c13=&c14=&h2=GU%2FEnvironment%2FFishing" width="1" height="1" /></div>Not so long ago, it was one of the discarded fish, thrown back into the sea with a dismissive toss - the dab is not ugly like gurnard, but considered not to be that tasty. But in these recession-bitten times, sales of the humble, and cheap, flatfish have risen by 47% in the last year, according to Seafish, the industry authority.Found in waters around most of the UK, the dab had previously been overlooked in favour of sole and plaice, but as consumers become more willing to try other species, it has become more popular. Retail sales of dab for the year ending September 2008 were £1,943,000, compared with £1,325,000 the year before.Philip MacMullen, Seafish's head of environmental responsibility, said the uptake of dab was in line with research showing that people are more willing to try a range of fish rather than focusing on traditional species such as cod and haddock. He said: "It's encouraging that it [dab] is now being introduced into supermarkets and that people are willing to give it a try. Dab is very underexploited. Next to sand eels, it is the most abundant species in the North Sea." The dab is a "fish to eat" on the Marine Conservation Society's list because it is "fished within sustainable levels using methods which do not cause unacceptable damage to the environment or non-target species".<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/fishing">Fishing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/food">Food</a></li></ul></div><div class="guRssAdvert"><a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159681111922401348371"><img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159681111922401348371" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html">More Feeds</a>
Loss of hill farms could destroy rare upland landscape, experts warn
<div><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/75503?ns=guardian&pageName=Environment%3A+Loss+of+hill+farms+could+destroy+rare+upland+landscape%2C+experts+warn&ch=Environment&c3=guardian.co.uk&c4=Conservation+%28Environment%29%2CEndangered+habitats+%28Environment%29%2CWildlife+%28Environment%29%2CFood+%28Environment%29%2CEnvironment%2CUK+news%2CWater+%28Environment%29%2CCarbon+emissions+%28Environment%29%2CClimate+change+%28Environment%29&c5=Environment+Conservation%2CNot+commercially+useful%2CClimate+Change%2CEthical+Living%2CFood+and+Drink&c6=Steven+Morris&c7=2008_11_07&c8=1113627&c9=article&c10=GU&c11=Environment&c12=Conservation&c13=&c14=&h2=GU%2FEnvironment%2FConservation" width="1" height="1" /></div>Precious upland landscape in Britain will be changed forever if hill farmers are driven out of business because of changes to the way their funding is allocated, national park chiefs have warned. New figures show that profits on many sheep and cattle farms are likely to drop by up to 40% in the next five years, which could spell the beginning of the end for wild and iconic landscapes that have been grazed for more than 3,000 years. Experts fear the loss of hill farms in areas like Dartmoor and the Lake District will have a disastrous impact on nature, tourism, water supplies and even climate. John Dyke, the chairman of the Exmoor National Park Authority, said public funding for hill farmers had plunged over the last few years. "Farming in the hills is rapidly becoming unviable," he said. "Upland farmers feel unrecognised and unwanted by the UK government. It's a disaster for the farmers and for these beautiful landscapes." A report commissioned by Exmoor and Dartmoor national parks and the Duchy of Cornwall, which manages Prince Charles's estate, claims that the average family-run hill farm in southwest England made a farm business income ? effectively a net profit ? of only £9,000 in the last financial year. This left family members making less than the minimum wage and seeing no return at all on their capital investment. The report, carried out by a team led by experts in the rural economy from the University of Exeter, said the average hill cattle or sheep farm in the south-west could expect incomes to fall by 30% in the next five years because of projected reductions in public support in England as the single payment scheme, the European Union's principal subsidy, is phased in.According to the report, the picture is even bleaker for "extreme" hill farms ? those in the most remote moorland areas. They face even harder economic conditions than lower lying farms because they find it harder to diversify. The report warns that these extreme farms might see profits plunging by 40%. Maurice Retallick, 65, who farms 500 cattle and 200 sheep on Dartmoor, said: "We are doing a full-time job for part-time wages. My generation will keep on doing it because it's bred into you. The younger generation probably won't be prepared to put the effort we put in for the poor returns. That will mean the landscape will change completely. "The vegetation will grow and it won't be accessible for the walkers. The birds that thrive on the moor will vanish. Water quality will be affected ? the water that comes off Dartmoor is some of the cleanest in the country. The walls won't be maintained, communities will die and the tourists will stop coming." Hill farmers like Retallick have had to cope with the price of fertiliser and feed trebling in the past two years. The price of lamb and mutton has rallied a little this year, but Dartmoor national park says a farmer on its moors makes a profit of only around £1 a sheep. It is not just the south-west where there are problems. Government figures confirm that farm business incomes for those who graze animals in "less favoured areas" ? often moorlands ? have fallen by almost 40% to £10,600 in the past three years. In the <a href="http://www.visitnorthyorkshiremoors.co.uk/">North York Moors National Park</a>, an average of three-and-a-half sheep flocks were being lost earlier this decade and there were fears that all flocks would be gone by 2030. The decline has been arrested ? but the national park warns that any further loss of income will kickstart the fall again. Further south in the Peak District a study by the area's rural deprivation forum has found that farming incomes there have declined by 75% since the mid 1990s. The contrast with other farming sector is startling ? thanks partly to the world food crisis, the average cereal farmer made a net profit of £56,100 in 2006/7 ? up 70% on the previous year. National parks say that if the sheep and cattle go, there will be a knock-on effect on precious environments. The high moors are effectively a manmade environment and if grazing stops and is not replaced by other management, scrub and trees will begin to grow. Nigel Hoskin, chairman of <a href="http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/">Dartmoor National Park Authority</a>, said: "We need to recognise the true value of these upland areas, not only for food production, rich biodiversity and beautiful landscapes but also in the context of a new challenge that is facing us ? the management of carbon."The effect of sheep and cattle grazing on the ability of Britain's moorlands to act as "carbon sinks" is one of the most crucial functions of upland farming. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/31/endangeredhabitats.carbonemissions">Peatlands are the single largest carbon reserve</a> in the UK, storing around 3bn tonnes of carbon, more than in the woodlands of Britain and France combined. In areas like the Peak District, over-grazing has been partly blamed for the erosion of peatland and worrying releases of carbon. But some farmers, environmentalists and the national parks argue that some grazing is necessary to maintain the moors as sinks. They say that if the moor is not managed sensitively, their make-up will change and their effectiveness will be damaged. The government is in the process of introducing a new scheme that will reward hill farmers for the environmental and landscape benefits they deliver. When he launched the scheme earlier this summer the environment secretary, Hilary Benn, emphasised that "climate change mitigation" was one of the duties farmers, who receive the Uplands ELS grant, will be expected to take on. But many farmers and <a href="http://www.nfuonline.com/">National Farmers' Union</a> (NFU) representatives are concerned they will be made to jump through too many hoops to qualify for these funds, which replace yet another grant called the Hill Farmers' Allowance (HFA), that placed much less emphasis on environmental issues. Many farmers fear the replacement of the HFA with an onerous scheme that puts the environment at the heart of hill farming could further damage their businesses.Will Cockbain, a Lakeland sheep farmer and a spokesman on hill farming for the NFU, said: "What we really want is to be paid a fair price at market for what we produce. If that could happen, everything else would fall into place, but there's no sign of it happening any day soon." Defra referred questions about hill farming to <a href="http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/">Natural England</a>, the countryside and land management agency. Mervyn Edwards, who speaks on hill farming matters for the agency, accepted hill farmers face a difficult future, though he said the profit figures could be skewed because they may include very small farms. Edwards said: "Farmers have been bombarded with change and change brings about uncertainty." <h2>Do sheep help or hinder the battle against global warming? </h2>The question of whether sheep are good or bad when it comes to global warming is a complicated one. Peatland is the single largest carbon reserve in the UK, storing around 3bn tonnes of carbon, more than in the woodlands of Britain and France combined. But overgrazing of the moors causes the release of CO2 ? it is estimated that the southern Pennine hills could be leaking as much CO2 as a town of almost 50,000 people.Fred Worrall, a leading peat researcher based at Durham University, said the ideal carbon moorland sink is a pristine lawn of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum">sphagnum moss</a> untouched by sheep or cattle or horses. But as areas like Dartmoor have been grazed for thousands of years, such landscapes are very rare. If sheep or cattle were removed from all upland, Worrall said, perfect moss would not suddenly appear. Instead shrubby vegetation and birch woods would spring up. This has already happened in some parts of Dartmoor. Such vegetation would make the peat dry out ? and lose its effectiveness as a carbon sink. So Worrall says that the grazing of some sheep and cattle is a good thing. But the problem is nobody knows quite how many sheep or cattle would be ideal. Take in to account issues concerning the methane that sheep create and the possible impact of that on climate and the carbon footprint of producing extra feed for the animals ? and the equation becomes mind-bogglingly difficult. <h2>What could be lost without farming on Dartmoor? </h2>? More than 23,785 hectares of Dartmoor are notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – a designation that denotes national importance.? The moor is home to hugely important birds like the golden plover and skylark; butterflies, including the marsh fritillary, and plant life such as the crowberry and 12 types of sphagnum moss. ? More than 2,000mm of rain falls on the higher parts of the moor every year. This rain fills seven reservoirs and numerous rivers which in turn supply drinking water to most of Devon. ? The public enjoy open access to all 47,000 hectares of moorland. There are 450 miles of public footpaths and bridleways.? More than 1,000 scheduled monuments are to be found on Dartmoor. It contains the largest concentration of bronze age remains in the country.<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/">Conservation</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/endangeredhabitats">Endangered habitats</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/wildlife">Wildlife</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/food">Food</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/water">Water</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/carbonemissions">Carbon emissions</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/climatechange">Climate change</a></li></ul></div><div class="guRssAdvert"><a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159690111922401348371"><img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Environment&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159690111922401348371" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html">More Feeds</a>
Agriculture: Time to go against the grain
Oil-dependent production of cereal crops could be replaced by a traditional method of farming that is cheaper, greener and safer, says Graham Harvey
New hope for Britain's ancient apples and orchards
<div><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/5481?ns=guardian&pageName=Life+and+style%3A+New+hope+for+Britain%27s+ancient+apples&ch=Life+and+style&c3=guardian.co.uk&c4=Food+and+drink+%28Life+and+style%29%2CLife+and+style%2CFood+%28Environment%29%2CConservation+%28Environment%29%2CEnvironment%2CUK+news&c5=Not+commercially+useful%2CEthical+Living%2CFood+and+Drink&c6=Steven+Morris&c7=2008_11_04&c8=1112065&c9=article&c10=GU&c11=Life+and+style&c12=Food+%26+drink&c13=&c14=&h2=GU%2FLife+and+style%2FFood+%26+drink" width="1" height="1" /></div>They have apples that taste of pineapple, apples that look like pears, apples that - in the right light and perhaps after a glass of cider - look like a pig's snout. Many are delicious straight from the tree while others need time to mature. Some are good only for pickling and might take out a tooth if you took a bite. A mind-boggling variety of apples is to be found sitting in wicker baskets in the top shed on the National Trust's Cotehele estate in Cornwall at this time of year. Orchards are always good places to be in the autumn, but there is a greater sense of optimism at Cotehele and other important English orchards this year after they received an important funding boost. Along with grander landscapes such as high moors, wetlands and estuaries, the traditional orchard was given a share of £5m from <a href="http://www.english-nature.org.uk/About/countdown.htm">Natural England's Countdown 2010 biodiversity action fund</a>. The Countdown campaign is part of a global movement aimed at halting the loss of important environments. The money will be used by a partnership of groups to find out how many traditional orchards and apple varieties there are in the country - nobody knows for sure - and to begin to record the flora and fauna to be found in them.To mark the occasion, the Guardian was given a tour of the National Trust's "mother orchard" at Cotehele on the banks of the River Tamar on a suitably misty and mellow morning. Planted last winter, the mother orchard consists of 270 trees with 120 varieties typical to Cornwall and Devon growing on an eight-acre plot. The idea is to grow these trees to adulthood to make sure they are not lost, and then create more trees from them and reintroduce the rare ones to orchards and gardens. Some of the varieties here were down to their last few trees; others were thought to be extinct but were found hiding away in the corner of kitchen gardens. Chris Groves, the Trust's orchard officer, said the number of orchards across the country had declined by more than 50% in the last 50 years because of changing farming practices - including, in this part of the world at least, the halting of the tradition of part paying labourers in cider - and because of cheap imports. The result is that countless orchards have been lost - and the nearest supermarket to Cotehele is selling two types of apples: one red, one green, both from France. At Cotehele, by contrast, it is all about variety. The mother orchard is still in its infancy, the trees only waist or shoulder high, but this autumn Groves has harvested around 50 varieties of apples from the estate's old orchard.Some are named after the place they were first grown: the Plympton Pippin, the Devon Crimson Queen, the Cotehele Beauty. Some are named for their appearances: the Oaken Pin looks like a skittle when it is hanging from a bough, while the Pig's Snout needs no explaining. The latter was lost for 50 years but should now be safe forever. Walk through the mother orchard and you find the Bottlestopper, the Rattler and the Cat's Head. The Pear Apple looks like a pear but tastes like an apple while Groves' favourite, the Cornish Pine, has a pleasant tropical aftertaste of pineapples. Lucy Cordrey, the National Trust's nature conservation technician, said the new government money - £267,000 - would be spent trying to preserve the nation's orchards and its wildlife, and map them. The trust, the lead organisation in a partnership of orchard-friendly bodies, does not even know how many it has. It carried out a quick audit and drew up a list of 100, but feels sure it must have many more. "Nobody knows how many orchards there are, or how many varieties. There must be hundreds, thousands across the country," said Cordrey.Orchards are home for bats, butterflies, moths and rare insects but, again, Cordrey said no full survey of the flora and fauna they give a home to had been done. Lovers of the orchard hope the realisation of how important they are as habitats, along with renewed interest in homegrown apples, not to mention cider, will give a new lease of life to Britain's orchards. <h2>Unusual apples at Cotehele</h2>Netted Russet Good in an apple pie if it is taken straight off the tree. Needs a couple of months to sweeten if it is to be eaten uncooked. Ladys Fingers So called because of the five "crowns" - bumps really - that surround the stem. Good for cooking or eating. Cornish Longstem As hard as a nut. Do not bite it or you may need to visit the dentist. In Cornwall, it's turned into a pickle. Pear Apple Looks like a pear, tastes like an apple. Sharp and crisp. A good early season fruit. Oaken Pin A sweet, crisp desert apple from Devon. Called a pin because it looks like a skittle when it is hanging from a tree.<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/foodanddrink">Food & drink</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/food">Food</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/">Conservation</a></li></ul></div><div class="guRssAdvert"><a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Lifeandstyle&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159701111922401348371"><img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Lifeandstyle&country=usa&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=1227134159701111922401348371" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html">More Feeds</a>
Boris Johnson unveils plan to create 2,012 new vegetable gardens in London
Scheme aims to boost the amount of locally grown food in the capital
Store vows to fight EU ban on 'ugly fruit'
Outraged Sainsbury's drops plan to sell wonky vegetables because staff could be prosecuted
Dick Taverne: The prince has to choose
Dick Taverne: If Charles wants to lecture us on the plight of the world he must renounce his claim to the throne

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